Aaron McGruder Revives ‘The Boondocks’ to Roast R. Kelly and Michael Jackson Amid Sexual Abuse Claims
Zack Sharf
Aaron McGruder has returned to the world of “The Boondocks” for the first time since wrapping the initial run of his Adult Swim series in June 2014. The creator originated “The Boondocks” as a comic strip that launched in 1996 before creating the hugely popular Adult Swim series in 2005. McGruder’s “Boondocks” revival arrives in the form of six brand new comic strips that find the characters taking on current events, from Donald Trump to the recent sexual abuse allegations against music stars R. Kelly and Michael Jackson.
“Did these for fun and to see if I still could,” McGruder wrote in a caption accompanying the comic strips, which were released on Charlemagne tha God’s Instagram account. “More to come…exactly how much more is tough to say. These strips were only possible due to the enormous talent of my good friend Seung Kim, who did the animation for the old show – and he’s a busy guy. Thanks to him and thanks to Charlamagne for putting these out for me while I get my Instagram act together.”
In the comic strip tackling R. Kelly and Michael Jackson, Jebediah “Grandad” Freeman gets upset when R. Kelly’s “Ignition (Remix)” starts playing from his laptop. “Never agains will I listen to R. Kelly in this house! Delete!” the character proclaims. “Let’s try an artist with a little more moral fortitude.” Grandad then puts on Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”
McGruder’s comic arrives in the aftermath of the debuts of “Surviving R. Kelly” and “Leaving Neverland,” new documentaries which featured interviews with the women and men who claim R. Kelly and Michael Jackson sexually abused them, respectively. “The Boondocks” went viral in the aftermath of “Surviving R. Kelly” thanks to a 2005 episode in which protagonist Huey lashed out at other characters for heroizing R. Kelly despite his history of sexual misconduct, including allegedly urinating on a girl.
Check out of all of McGruder’s new “The Boondocks” comic strips below.
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