'BOONDOCKS' LOSES ITS COMIC EDGE ON TV.Byline: - David Kronke UNLESS YOU'RE a White House official, an executive at the BET cable network or someone who makes or stars in lame movies aimed at black audiences, Aaron McGruder's ``The Boondocks'' is the funniest and most lovingly illustrated comic strip comic strip, combination of cartoon with a story line, laid out in a series of pictorial panels across a page and concerning a continuous character or set of characters, whose thoughts and dialogues are indicated by means of "balloons" containing written speech. since ``Calvin and Hobbes.'' Of course, if you fall in that aforementioned group of disparate individuals, you likely consider it a Menace 2 Society. McGruder's take-no-prisoners strip assails anyone who might possibly diminish American black culture, from disinterested politicians to celebrities catering to the lowest common denominator low·est common denominator n. 1. See least common denominator. 2. a. The most basic, least sophisticated level of taste, sensibility, or opinion among a group of people. b. who cynically kowtow to base African-American stereotypes. Outside of the miracle that is ``South Park,'' unfortunately, there is no animated series that can offer timely political commentary the way that ``Boondocks'' does in strip form. Hence, in its efforts to remain ``edgy'' in a TV forum, ``Boondocks'' resorts to copious use of what is tremulously trem·u·lous adj. 1. Marked by trembling, quivering, or shaking. 2. Timid or fearful; timorous. [From Latin tremulus, from tremere, to tremble. referred to in the mainstream media as ``the N-word.'' ``Boondocks'' concerns two young inner-city boys - politically aware Huey and gangsta Noun 1. gangsta - (Black English) a member of a youth gang AAVE, African American English, African American Vernacular English, Black English, Black English Vernacular, Black Vernacular, Black Vernacular English, Ebonics - a nonstandard form of American English wannabe Riley (both voiced by ``Ray's'' Regina King) - thrust, more or less against their will, into the comfortable suburbs of White America, where they live with their vaguely assimilated grandfather (John Witherspoon). Comic complications must almost certainly ensue. As the series opens, Huey dreams of scandalizing white suburbanites with black truths. In tonight's debut, he finds that more difficult than he imagined when, at a prim and proper garden party, his pronouncements are condescendingly con·de·scend·ing adj. Displaying a patronizingly superior attitude: "The independent investor's desire to play individual stocks may well worry some market veterans, but that smacks a little of Wall Street's usual applauded for being ``articulate.'' Next week, Granddad finds true love in a young white woman who only he doesn't recognize is a prostitute. ``Boondocks,'' the TV series, boasts gorgeous, anime-style visuals that more than serve the comic strip, and it's very pointed in terms of racial commentary. What it lacks, crucially, is the same level of honest hilarity McGruder's strip manages on an almost daily basis. THE BOONDOCKS - Two and one half stars What: Aaron McGruder's acclaimed comic strip about militant black kids adrift in the suburbs is reimagined as an animated series. Where: Adult Swim Adult Swim is the name for an adult-oriented television programming network. It shares channel space with Cartoon Network in the United States, featuring absurdist and often ribald comedy, in contrast to the much tamer child and pre-teen oriented daytime Cartoon Network. (Cartoon Network For Cartoon Network outside of the United States, see . Cartoon Network is a cable television network created by Turner Broadcasting which primarily shows animated programming. ). When: 11 tonight. In a nutshell: The strip is funnier. |
|
||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion