CD Review: Left Hand Smoke
On campus: 'Boondocks' cartoonist‘Boondocks’ creator finds humor on campus to promote ‘Hostility’
Since its conception in 1997, Aaron McGruder’s original comic strip, “The Boondocks,” has made its way from the surface of the print media into the hearts of millions of readers. A combination of childhood antics, contemporary political-social satire and a young man’s love of Hip-Hop, McGruder’s reflections on a diverse culture have turned into a thought provoking national hit. Boondocks is the story of a group of African American city kids adjusting to life in white suburbia. The strip explores the terrain where Dashikis and Brand Nubian CDs meet the Gap and Hanson. First published in UMD’s independent student newspaper, The Diamondback, Boondocks was eventually picked up by one of the country’s largest urban music magazines, The Source. It is now featured in more than 300 newspapers. McGruder’s comic strip is revolutionary — his artwork and satirical content are cutting edge and at a height of excellence not seen in comic strips since the departure of Calvin & Hobbes. His goal is to improve the state of racial discourse and to expand the type of humor found on newspaper comic pages. “A Right to Be Hostile,” A Boondocks treasury (Crown Publishing) is the second book release from this dynamic author and artist.