The Boondocks
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The Boondocks is a comic strip written and originally drawn by Aaron McGruder. It started as a comic in the student newspaper at the University of Maryland, College Park; the comic strip became syndicated in 1999.
The strip depicts Huey Freeman and his younger brother Riley, two African-American children who have been moved out of Chicago by their grandfather to live with him in the predominantly white suburb of Woodcrest. Huey is a devotee of black radical ideas of the past few decades (as explained in the May 4 1999 strip, Huey is in fact named after Black Panther Huey P. Newton), whereas Riley is enamored of gangsta rap culture and the "thug"/bling-bling lifestyle. Their grandfather is a firm disciplinarian who is offended by their values and ideas.
Huey's best friend is Michael Caesar, an aspiring MC who serves as a positive counterpoint to Huey's typically pessimistic attitude. The Freemans' neighbors are NAACP member Thomas Dubois and his Caucasian wife Sarah; their young daughter Jazmine is often the subject of Huey's apathy for being, in his opinion, out of touch with her African ancestry.
In the fall of 2003, McGruder passed art duties on to Boston-based artist Jennifer Seng. In an interview with The New Yorker, McGruder said, "If something had to give, it was going to be the art. I think I'm a better writer than artist." [1] (http://newyorker.com/fact/content/?040419fa_fact2)
It is highly political and occasionally subject to great controversy, usually sparked by the comments and behavior of its main character, Huey. The comic strip has been withheld by newspapers several times. In this aspect, it is similar to Doonesbury.
In particular, the principal characters often discuss racial and American socio-economic class issues. Some attribute the disputes over the strip to a political correctness that discourages any discussion or recognition of racial distinctions.
Mr. McGruder has sold the TV & film rights for The Boondocks to Sony Pictures Entertainment. The Boondocks cartoon series will premiere on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim in November 2005, after being turned down by the FOX Network.
Main Characters
- Huey Freeman
- Riley Freeman
- Michael Caesar - Huey's best friend
- Granddad
- Thomas and Sarah Dubois - an interracial couple in the neighborhood
- Jazmine Dubois - their biracial daughter
- Cindy McPhearson - a caucasian girl in Huey's class who appears to be utterly clueless about racial issues and shows a fondness/curiosity for rap music (Snoop Dogg in particular)
External links
- Official homepage (http://www.boondocks.net/)
- Read the comic strip online (http://www.ucomics.com/boondocks/)nl:The Boondocks