The Internet gained ground roughly in line with Dilbert's rise to success: it's safe to say that that innovation not only helped with the proliferation of the strip, but also in expanding the number of people exposed to the mismanagement displayed in the comic, which really exploded in the mid-to-late-'90s, as the dot-com boom came about.
The strip is far from entirely based in the office, however, particularly in the early years. Dilbert also has a home life, which he shares with his anthropomorphic dog, Dogbert. Megalomaniac in ambition, cute in looks, Dogbert is arguably the comic's funniest character; his attempts to enslave humans the world over have prompted some of Adams' all-time finest strips. Fictional fourth-world country Elbonia also features frequently, particularly in comics that discuss outsourcing. Multitudes of other characters and locations feature too, ranging from near-retirement office worker Wally to a family of dinosaurs, but to go into any greater depth would ruin many of the surprises and punchlines that come as you read through the strips.
You may note that much of the above review generalizes about Dilbert's history. That's simply because commenting on the specifics of what's contained here would be nigh-on impossible. The collection of strips presented here - numbering well over 2,000, spread across more than 600 pages - cover every aspect and era of Dibert's history; from early attempts at puns to the most refined, well-observed office humour. A celebration of twenty years of the comic - the strip is two decades old in mid-2009 - every year is well-represented in the tome, with particular attention being paid to the early years, and strips that were published in mere handfuls of small newspapers. Every regular and semi-regular character is featured in a number of comics; while a considerable number of themed "series" - strips that connected across several days' worth of strips - are also present. Strips originally published on weekdays are four-panel black-and-whites; Sundays are full-color eight-panel.
The real draw for the Dilbert enthusiast isn't just the comics, though. The book also comes with a new 32-page introduction by Adams - and it's a marvelous read. He discusses all the ups on the way to getting Dilbert published - his letters from and to Jack Cassady, the host of a show about cartooning Adams saw when young, are a particular highlight. Adams is refreshingly candid, and his economical writing style - well-honed on his superb blog - is a delight to read. He also offers observations on specific cartoons throughout the book - anything from a few words noting the development of a character, to whole paragraphs about the aftermath of a cartoon being published. Even those who are familiar with the whole Dilbert canon will still find plenty of new material here to read.
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