The Boondocks

Good cultural humor for all demographics, loved the TV show and the comics were just as good.

"The Boondocks: Because I Know You Don't Read the Newspaper," by Aaron McGruder, is a collection of comic strips that tell the story of the Freeman brothers. Huey and Riley Freeman are two young African-American boys who have moved from Chicago to a nearly all-white neighborhood with their grandfather. McGruder mines the saga of these strangers in a strange land for some potent humor and cutting social satire.McGruder has developed some of the best comic strip characters I have ever read: Huey, a pint-sized revolutionary and conspiracy theorist with a huge afro; gangsta wannabe Riley; their crochety grandfather; Jazmine, a mixed-race neighbor girl at odds with her ethnic heritage; "Psycho 'Star Wars' Guy"; and more. Typical plots involve Huey starting a neighborhood Klanwatch, delving into the "Santa Conspiracy," etc. Along the way there are jokes and slams involving Star Wars, UPN, and BET."The Boondocks" is a comic strip with both brains and heart--unafraid to be controversial, but also unashamed to explore the humanity of its characters. Is it a "Peanuts" for the 21st century? I don't know, but I do know it's good stuff.

Aaron McGruder is responsible for giving me a reason to want to read the comics again. He's that good. Everything about this strip, from the characters to the artwork and subject matter, leaps off the page and makes an impression. McGruder pulls no punches and makes no apologies, and that's exactly what makes his work so appealing to so many people (and appalling to some others). Not since Gary Trudeau has there been a comic strip artist who dared to make his work topical and timely, while still being hilariously funny. Unfortunately, we live in an age of people are afraid to think, or at least to think anything other than what they're told, and who wouldn't dream of questioning the status quo. After 9/11, MacGruder was one of a small few who dared not march in lockstep and instead was not afraid to level justified and pointed criticism at the American public and its so-called leaders. Fortunately, there hasn't been any real damage to the popularity of his work, perhaps because he simply has the courage and talent to say in his work what so many of us are also thinking in this age when speaking up can earn one socioeconomic punishment. Not only does he said it, but he says it well and with terrific humor. Here's hoping McGruder and "The Boondocks" are around for a long, long time to come.

I was happily surprised to see this in a bookstore -- I didn't even know it was out there. Guess nobody at Andrews McMeel is exactly breakin' their backs promoting this. Anyway, if 'Peanuts' owned the '50s and '60s, 'Doonesbury' owned the '70s, and 'Bloom County,' 'The Far Side' and 'Calvin & Hobbes' owned the '80s, who owned the '90s? There was a long, LONG dry spell before Aaron McGruder came along in 1999. He may yet own the new decade as well. What comic strip that originated in the '90s has been this consistently funny and relevant and biting? 'Dilbert'? It has its moments but mainly appeals to guys like Scott Adams. 'Fox Trot'? Thanks, but I prefer a strip that slams 'Star Wars' to a strip that has devoted entire weeks to 'Star Wars' homages. 'The Boondocks' has managed to offend both white and black people, which means it's doing something right. The nice thing is that it also manages to entertain both white and black people -- at least those who get the joke, who find humor in the goofiness specific to white people and the goofiness specific to black people. This isn't a get-whitey strip -- McGruder has a bit of fun at the expense of his protagonists, the ever-righteous Huey and his gangsta-wannabe brother Riley. Yet he also lets each of them have moments of clarity and insight. Even at his most ruthless, there's very little mean-spiritedness in McGruder's satire -- he's one of those satirists who has a kind of affection for the stupidities he's skewering, because he knows life wouldn't be as funny without them. (Perfect example: his ongoing digs at B.E.T.) In all, this book is the beginning of what's shaping up to be a great career. Jump on board now.

I picked up a copy of the Boondocks by chance because I liked the sub-title (Cause I know you don't read the newspapers). Upon opening the book, I was exposed such intelligent, funny, and sharp prose and endearing, honest, well-thought out characters that I became an instant fan. The Boondocks is destined to be the next Calvin & Hobbes and/or Doonesbury, and I am excited to have discovered it during it's first publication in book form. Someday, when it is a household name and syndicated across the country I'll be able to see "I knew it when . . ." Lucky me. Pick up a copy as quick as you can, I promise you wont be dissapointed.As an aside, besides Huey (the main character and "radical scholar"), my favorite character is Jazmine. As a girl who also struggles with being biracial occasionally, I think she does a wonderful job of representing this aspect of race in America. Aaron (the artist behind the Boondocks) handles a potentially volatile topic with consistant clarity and beauty. Check out Boondocks.net and look at the 7/23/00 comic (under the "Strips" link) to see what I'm talking about. If your reading this Aaron (maybe?), Thank you from the heart.

I've known of Aaron McGruder's comic strip for a while but never actually got around to reading it (longtime fans will forgive me, I hope). Well, I got my hands on this collection and after catching up with everyone else I have to say that I have a new flag to wave. In fact, I'm kind of jealous. Boondocks is exactly the comic strip I would have created had I actually sat down and done it. Topics such as Hip-Hop, racial identity, stereotyping and poitics are all dealt with in an intellegent and non-condecending manner that's fresh in this age of stiffling political correctness.It's refreshing to see hip-hop treated with the respect it deserves by someone who clearly loves the culture. The discussions about race and politics are honest and thought- provoking. Plus, like the best Calvin and Hobbes strips, Boondocks is just downright funny.I have to admit that I had no idea that Mr. McGruder's strip had caused such an uproar. After reading the book I hit up the website and was treated to a very telling display of all the hate mail and negativity that has been spewed by numerous people. It's not surprising. One thing that I've come to realize is that a lot of people have a very low tolerance and understanding of social satire. That's why people don't "get" movies like "Fight Club" and bad mouth the current Spike Lee Joint "Bamboozled". And since Boondocks is social satire at its finest it will be doomed to misunderstanding and attack by people who don't "get it" and read more into it than they should. Populated by characters like Huey Freeman, a conspiricy theorizing revolutionary and Reily, his foul-mouthed, bling-blinging little brother, Boondocks is not your typical Sunday paper comic strip.My favorite moment from the book involves Huey answering the phone and being presented with "exciting news" about new long distance service. Huey responds that he has exciting news too. . . "De La Soul is releasing a triple LP this year and The Roots are finally coming out with their long-awaited live album."Well, I have exciting news too. . . The Boondocks strips are now collected in their first book. Pick it up.