Chair Butt
This week in the Dilbert comic, Alice discovers she has a bad case of chair butt. United Media, the company that syndicates Dilbert, rejected the first version I submitted. It looked like this:
My editors thought the pose looked too provocative. They requested I redraw Alice in less of a “mount me” position. I argued that in the context of a medical exam, no one would interpret her pose as sexual. This argument did not carry the day. So I went back to the drawing board with the instructions to make it look “more medical.”
At this point in the story I should pause to confess I did not attend medical school. I don’t know exactly how a trained physician would examine a patient for signs of chair butt. So I took an educated guess and resubmitted the comic. Here’s a peek.
Although my editors have no formal medical training, they were nonetheless certain my depiction of a chair butt exam was inaccurate. I went back to the drawing board a third time and drew the version that was accepted and ran in newspapers. Here it is.
What I learned from this experience is that being a doctor takes more than common sense and a willingness to look at unattractive naked people. I don’t know how much more it takes, but I intend to keep drawing comics until I find out.
Nice blog.Thanks
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Posted by: inderyJer | August 06, 2007 at 04:06 AM
Mr. Adams, I did a feature on this HILARIOUS story at my place, which was then picked up by Mike's Blog Roundup on Crooks & Liars.
It's the "Chair Butt" fiasco.
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2007/05/05/mikes-blog-roundup-138/
Posted by: HillCountryGal | May 05, 2007 at 10:42 PM
Very interesting stuff... and as for the comment about a "Dilbert Uncut" book, I'm all for it. I've been saving every "uncensored" Dilbert comic since... *checks archive* ...well actually I just have a whole bunch from 1992 to the present, including some from 1997, 1999 and 2000.
I'm sure there's been MANY, MANY more that I don't know about, and I would absolutely LOVE to see a "Dilbert Uncut" - fully uncensored, featuring all of your comments and alternate versions (kind of like you've been doing in the blog!)
I enjoy seeing older alternate and uncensored versions. And I'm glad they are finally surfacing - it makes the mystique of Dilbert all the more exciting!
Posted by: BTTFVGO | May 05, 2007 at 04:01 PM
I can see a "Dilbert Uncut" book in the offing...
Posted by: Free William | April 30, 2007 at 06:42 PM
Scott, you still are entitled to a last laugh, cause in both the strips, she seems to be riding a huge 2-d phallus. What gave it away? the two small round balls at the left end.
If this interpretation looks like a work of a dirty mind, thats spot on - otherwise why would I be reading this blog?
Posted by: vishalrix | April 30, 2007 at 08:44 AM
I had to laugh when reading this
Your humor cracks me up!
I laughed so hard I had to pis*
- Docs nose inside her butt!
So keep the humor flowing, please
For those of us who care
Who read your wit and are so teased
With butts formed by a chair
Posted by: mgerics | April 30, 2007 at 06:36 AM
Scott Man,
It must be hard being a Cartoonist in America.
Peace Bro
Lymonhead
Posted by: Lymonhead | April 29, 2007 at 09:20 PM
Does your editing company know the last image is really the most provocative? That's the only one in which he looks actually able to get his cock in her. I wouldn't want to try the first one; you'd have to be on the table too and with her that close to the edge you'd probably fall on your ass. But standing on the ground, leaning forward... yeah, that's probably just about right.
Nuts, these are moderated. Well, edit this so it gets posted.
Posted by: Ummm.... | April 29, 2007 at 10:21 AM
So the solution for future strips should be obvious to all, yes?
Scott, it's simple. Make two copies of every strip...the first one with every character placement as suggestive and evocative as possible...the second copy is your "proper" strip. Submit the first one first, and they'll happily take the second without question.
Unless they read this. Damn.
Posted by: Slippy | April 29, 2007 at 09:07 AM
oh my god that second pic was hilarious! way to stick it to the man. that looked a lot more medical than the first LMAO!
Posted by: mitch | April 29, 2007 at 08:37 AM
It might be interesting to install a camera in your editor's office.
Posted by: Ridiculopathy | April 29, 2007 at 08:16 AM
That dog is wearing glasses.
Posted by: Aaron | April 29, 2007 at 06:45 AM
I dont think thats offensive at all.
Not too many people read the comics nowadays
beause syndicates are not accepting new characters anymore
Isn't this hurting the industry?
I guess they'd rather reprint old ones to be safe.
Posted by: expobill | April 29, 2007 at 06:07 AM
So they were okay with her hairstyle looking like a big nipple on top of her head? Just curious! ;)
Posted by: Dee | April 29, 2007 at 02:55 AM
So they were okay with her hairstyle looking like a big nipple on top of her head? Just curious! ;)
Posted by: Dee | April 29, 2007 at 02:52 AM
A prime example of American syndicated comic having very little to do with humor is Dennis the Menace. The original Scottish strip had Dennis being a manace. He'd practically set mr. Wilson on fire to watch him die. He even looks like he's just been released from a juvenile detention facility. Dennis the Menace here isn't menacing. he's cute and adorable, and makes for an unappealing character.
It's no wonder they don't like chair butt. I wonder if you've ever been asked to make sure your characters aren't anatomically correct underneath the clothes they wear in your drawings.
Posted by: Roger Hannah | April 28, 2007 at 11:25 PM
Wait... newspapers still have a "comics" section? I, like most people, stopped looking for that section around 12 years ago.
Posted by: Farker number 4 | April 28, 2007 at 07:57 PM
Version B should go on the t-shirt.
Posted by: kamachanda | April 28, 2007 at 06:49 PM
And this is what's wrong with print comics today. Also, why I haven't read anything in print in years. I'm a much bigger fan of Overcompensating, or Penny Arcade than anything in print. Even Desiel Sweeties has a very hard time producing print comics that are up to the standard of the web-released versions.
Posted by: tim | April 28, 2007 at 04:01 PM
This reminds me of that time in 1988 when they wouldn't print the 'Family Circus' cause it contained a nip slip.
Posted by: Daniel | April 28, 2007 at 03:26 PM
It's good to know that editors are there for a reason.
Posted by: Eric | April 28, 2007 at 02:41 PM
That second version is a very accurate depiction of your editors.
Posted by: bob | April 28, 2007 at 02:21 PM
Scott,
I'm reading some of these comments here and it seems to me your fans are mostly idiots. I wonder if they even understand the content in your stips or if they simply smile at the pictures and think to themselves "That dog is wearing glasses."
Anyway, keep up the good work, yours is the last of the great strips.
Posted by: Rob | April 28, 2007 at 02:09 PM
Can the post by "me", second from the top, LEARN HOW TO SPELL.
LOSER...
it's Common Sense not Sence... Idiot.. here's the link for your edumacation..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_sense
Posted by: KmartShopper | April 28, 2007 at 01:06 PM