Bloom County by Berkeley Breathed for March 23, 2014

This comic strip, using the term “Dilbert,” was published on 28 April 1988. The first “Dilbert” strip hit the newspapers almost a year later, on 16 April 1989.

Berke Breathed: prophet?

Scott Adams: “I have this great idea about a workplace comic,but I need a name for my hero. Hmmm,can’t think of one,right now. Guess I’ll relax and read the comics. Maybe I’ll get some ideas.” :D

I don’t recall that old expression, but I approve the sentiment. Bill & Opus forever!

 According to Gooikipidia:Dilbert the Pilot was a World War II-era cartoon character who is a bumbling navy pilot. “Scott Adams credits Osborn as an indirect source of inspiration for the main character in his own Dilbert cartoons.” Also,Dilbert Dunker was a device for training air pilots to escape a submerged plane. “The word Dilbert is not listed in the dictionary although the term is used in the United States Navy to define a person who is slow witted and incapable of getting things done correctly.” Oh, interwebs, how did we ever survive without you?

Thanks, FlyerTom and Strod. I had thought that I had heard the term in HS in the ‘60s. My D.I.s weren’t quite so charitable with names in ’67.

Thinking about the candidates EACH party has put forward so far, Bill and Opus now, more than ever!

I was going to ask (rhetorically) why all the comics seemingly have it out for Dilbert, but I now see that the question wouldn’t really make any sense here.

“How many spats could a cockroach spit if a cockroach could spit spats?”

Dilbert was a fairly common term for a jerk or fool in the mid 60s. At least in the navy and marines.