The Boondocks

Aaron McGruder is an admitted militant liberal, and his comic strip has provided quite an insight into his world view on politics and the lack of political tactfulness. But the television show has effectively upped up the ante, making even starker commentary on society and the racist ills that have fallen on it.

Some may attack McGruder for attacking African American culture by using the profane language and in his depiction of Riley, but what he has effectively provided is a sensible argument toward the ills of all cultural settings. He's effectively illustrating what people EXPECT from black culture.

McGruder has always been very critical of the "hip-hop" culture, calling it feminine and useless. In my opinion, McGruder's commentary is almost as powerful as Spike Lee's "Bamboozled," where he basically states hip-hop culture is just another form of black-face to entertain suburban white people. While the television seems to border more along the lines of cultural inequities and absurdities as opposed to the full-on political commentary of the strip, he still hammers home a lot of good points. Years from now, people will look at this show as a daring look at junk cultural paradigms and laugh at the absurdity of it all.

the boondocks comic strip, which appeared in April of '99 was a thought inspiring strip, which more times than once, was pulled for it's raunchy messages.

the strip has garnered so much attention that it has become a TV show Broadcasted on Adult Swim. the story centers around the lives of two comical children. the older brother, Huey freeman, is a leftist revolutionary open to racial conspiracy theories. the younger brother is a thug-in-training, whom gravitates towards cliché ghetto-thuggish subjects. both view things differently but makes for much hilarity. the show is a fountain of subtle messages, gushing out through scenes, flashbacks and commentary. so far, in my opinion, the boondocks is a catalyst for debate and discussion(whether you like it or not).

In a day, of all we can hope for is reruns of beloved classics, and some of the dumbest crap-anime to brainwash young children, there is one that truly gets it right : The Boondocks.

Animation wise, it is the best looking show in syndication. It has a sharp blend of realism, with the 'glow' of a cartoon, thrown into nicely painted backgrounds. It sets the mood of McGruder's comics perfectly.

As a comedy, it features off-the-wall insanity, hilarious expressions, and well written 'stupidity'. Something that the old Simpsons used to do. Something that the old Simpsons didn't used to do, though, is make a grand statement about the African American culture, and the modern world today. Both the comedy and drama elements are carried out beautifully.

I can't name one character that sucks. All of them are heartwarming in their own way...and heartwarming in 'Boondocks' terms, to be more specific. Huey, Riley, Grandad, Uncle Ruckus, Ed the 3rd, and so on. I couldn't pick a bad one if I tried.

And not mentioning, the caliber of the voice acting is superb, as well. Regina King, John Witherspoon, and Cedric Yarbrough are just a few names that grace us each week. Not to mention the now and then Charlie Murphy, and the BMF himself...Samuel L. Jackson.

Compare this show to other shows. Become rational, if you are not, for an hour. Pull your head out of yourself, if it is there, for one hour. This is entertainment at its finest.

Having read and watched both the print and televised versions of the Boondocks I can honestly say, to me it was a diamond in the rough...until now. The antics and sometime semantics of the lead characters Huey, Riley and Grandpa are enough to keep ones funny bone in stitches while at the same time sending a message to the viewer loud and clear. The message is that no matter what color, no matter what creed or race....everyone is F'ed UP! I know the brothas and sistas will be jammin on how Huey is sticking it to the white man and so on, but that is only one side of the equation for the story often shows the illogic and humor of how African Americans view life. A stinging indictment on how the gov't seeks to obstruct and keep down the black man gives way to portrayals of black men stereotyping one another with colorful and racial epithets. The mocking vision of white males acting like black gansta rappers melts into the savage humor of hoes and pimps and black men and gun play. Its the long stretch and cleansing breath of the soul the racial landscape of America has needed for a long time. No one is perfect and this show is unafraid to show that no matter what color or ideology , that you have a bullseye on your back when Huey and Riley come around!

This show is "black" comedy in multiple senses of the term. Here is a memorable example. Grandad opens a restaurant featuring a menu high in fat, pork, sugar, and serving sizes. Huey comments that the food is "destructive" to those that eat it. Grandad asks him, "What's wrong with you boy, this is your culture." To which Huey responds, "well then the culture's destructive!" Now that's a point worthy of consideration coming out of the mouth of a small child in a cartoon. Personally, I think its worth watching several hours of this show just for the reward of being challenged to think about that one line, but others will not agree. My wife hates the show because, in her opinion "its simply not funny." I must agree, that the writing is bit uneven. Uncle Ruckus's trip to "white heaven" and King's speech at his political rally are absolutely priceless, while the entire episode "Let's Nab Ophrah" was a complete waste of time when Samuel L. Jackson's character wasn't talking. I strongly expect the reviews of this show to be highly polarized - you either love it or hate it. Watch a few episodes and make up your own mind.