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Boondocks
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The Boondocks was a daily syndicated comic strip written and originally drawn by Aaron McGruder. Created by McGruder in 1997 for The Diamondback, the student newspaper at the University of Maryland, College Park, the strip moved from the college pages and was printed in the monthly hip hop magazine The Source in 1997. As it gained popularity, the comic strip was picked up by the Universal Press Syndicate and made its national debut on April 19, 1999. A popular and controversial strip, The Boondocks deals with African American culture and American politics as seen through the eyes of its protagonist, 10-year-old black radical Huey Freeman.
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In the middle of somewhere, Boondocks is a five-piece band delivering country-blues, Americana, rock, electro-grass, Western Swing, and roots music that’s as comfortable as an old rocking chair, yet authentically their own. Songwriters Margo Valiante and Aaron Davis contribute homegrown songs that are carving a contemporary perspective on American roots music. The chemistry of band members from very diverse backgrounds is a testament to the spirit of the music. ************************************************************************************************************ Valiante's soaring vocals are a strong element and as her former music professor Gordon Thompson put it, she has “a voice that can stop a room." Valiante recently received Honorable Mention from the judges of the Telluride Troubadour Songwriting Competition, a highly regarded contest held annually at the Telluride Bluegrass Festival. ************************************************************************************************************ Harmonica player John Kuzloski was recently recognized by Bluegrass Now Magazine, describing his "righteous harmonica playing" on Anne and Pete Sibley’s album “Will you Walk With Me.” And Davis, who founded the songwriter concert series, Songwriter's Alley, recently had one of his songs selected for the television series Road Trip Nation, which will ... be featured online at MSN.com.
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Since its debut in April 1999, The Boondocks has found a home in more than 250 newspapers, making its launch the strongest since Calvin And Hobbes and For Better Or For Worse. The rich, multilayered comic strip offers a frank yet often funny look at race in America. It starts with a simple premise: Two young boys, Riley and Huey, move from inner-city Chicago to live with their grandfather. The tension increases... because the two boys are African-Americans now compelled to adapt to a white suburban world. They must take all they've learned in the 'hood and apply it to life in the 'burbs. Aaron McGruder has created a strip unlike any other.
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The Boondocks has taken the syndication world by storm. Introduced in April 1999, the edgy new comic strip produced a stronger launch for Universal Press Syndicate than Calvin and Hobbes and For Better or For Worse. The impressive list of early papers included the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, and Dallas Morning News. In fact, the notoriety landed Boondocks creator Aaron McGruder in publications ranging from Time magazine to People magazine which named him one of the "25 Most Intriguing People of '99."The first collection, The Boondocks, gathers together material from the record-setting first year of this sensational new strip. Centered around the experiences of two young African-American boys, Huey and Riley, who move from inner-city Chicago to the suburbs (or the "boondocks" to them), the strip fuses hip-hop sensibilities with Japanese anime-style drawings and a candid discussion of race. Funny yet revealing, the combination of superb art and envelope-pushing content provides one of the most unique strips in syndication today.
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"The Boondocks" is bound for Cartoon Network. Sources say Cartoon Network is finalizing a deal with Sony Pictures Television to pick up a half-hour series based on the newspaper comic strip "Boondocks," penned by Aaron McGruder. The TV adaptation was initially developed as a pilot for Fox Broadcasting Co., which passed after viewing a six-minute presentation reel during its pilot screening process earlier this year. Cartoon is believed to be eyeing "Boondocks" for its "Adult Swim" late-night block, given the racially and politically charged humor that has been the hallmark of the newspaper strip. "Boondocks" has had a fast rise since its 1999 debut and now appears in more than 200 newspapers. As in the strip, the TV series will chronicle the clash of cultures that ensues when two youths from inner-city Chicago, Riley and Huey, move to the suburbs to live with their grandfather.
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The Boondocks was very 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 discussd 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 ethnic and cultural distinctions. Because of its controversy, many newspaper publishers either relegated the strip to the op-ed section of the paper, pull more potentially controversial strips from being published, or didn't publish the strip at all, tactics ... similar to Doonesbury.
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