Public Enemy #2

I don't know the content my book never came

I did and still do think that the show is hilarious, but the books blow it away. This graphic novel supersedes any and all comedic expectations. An exceedingly wonderful spin on racial humor and life in general. Not much else to say other than that it is one of the best comics of all time.

This is a collection of the newspaper comic Boondocks. I love this comic! If Doonesbury was the 70s, Bloom County the 80s, and Calvin and Hobbes the 90s (though not as political as the others), Boondocks is now. This collection seems to cover 2003-2004, including, of course, the Bush-Kerry election. McGruder really expresses the anger, disappointment, and fear of the election by those of the left in a way that I totally and completely relate to. There is obviously a debt to Bloom County and Calvin and Hobbes in his comics, though with a bit more righteous anger. His lampooning of pop culture and frankness regarding race also rarely miss the mark. Even when I don't read the paper, I go online to read Boondocks. It makes me feel like I'm not alone, and reminds me of the humor in everything.

This is another McGruder outing and if you have not read him, do and see what the hype is about. This young man is bitingly witty and focused in his observations. Others have called him a racist, while it is more honest to say he is an equal opportunity skewer-er (yup, made that one up). The book's main cast members are Riley: the thug in training; Huey: the radical; Ceasar: the conscience, and a host of others who shine a light on life in American that illuminates all our hypocrasy and fake-ness. Read it and see that there is someone out there that is making it his job to see that we continue to think and hold discussions about American culture, life and government.

I get the Boondocks comic strip e-mailed to me daily so when I read the last two books, I was disappointed when I read the same jokes. But for some strange reason, I fell out laughing rereading the same jokes this time. Maybe it's because I enjoy someone knocking Bush more than I do. I don't know. Either way, this was a classic read.

I am wild about Aaron McGruder. He captures the very essence of political satire with his adorable characters in the Boondocks. I have watched him on Bill Maher and can certainly see why he has remained so popular. Huey and Cesar often ponder a world in which the Democrats regained control of the country, but realize that Kerry was just a punk. Grandad's crusty ways make me laugh every morning on the way to work, and Riley's thug attitude brings it all back to Earth, proving that even the most serious political pundit can have a sense of humor and still get his point across. I also think Aaron McGruder is hot.