Why The Boondocks Comics Can NEVER Return.

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ธ.ค. 2024
  • ►► Alternate Title: The Boondocks | The Perception of Fame
    The story of how deadlines, fame and fear of cancellation destroyed the creator's drive to write & draw comics.
    The creator of The Boondocks, Aaron McGruder, hated The Boondocks comic strip. And despite the outcry, completely refuses to return to it. This video explores the severed relationship Aaron had with the strip, and how it threatened his friendships, his health and idea of fame.
    This is a video that I've had in the bunker for four years. Primarily because I never knew how to properly go about tackling it. It felt too personal and too involved, and it was one of the many reasons I hesitated when deciding to do the Docuseries.
    But, with time, I think there's a lot of value in people seeing and hearing this story. A story of Aaron McGruder and how deadlines and the perception of fame damaged his relationship with the comic strip forever.
    Alt Title 2: The Boondocks | The Price of Fame
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    New here?
    I cover media and discussion topics from a black leftist lens framed around The Boondocks, black identity and a range of nerdy stuff I'm into. In my spare time, I supply food for a foodbank, infrequently attend an afro diaspora community garden and I'm developing a black indie video game called NIXIE.
    If any of that sounds cool or interesting, keep in the loop. Or don't.
    I probably don't care.
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ความคิดเห็น • 255

  • @TheStorytellerAJ
    @TheStorytellerAJ  9 หลายเดือนก่อน +53

    I think about this story quite a lot. So, I guess for those who having watched, I hope there's something to be taken away from this. Thank you to everyone still supporting me.

  • @MarxistMomentum
    @MarxistMomentum 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +500

    Often people love something from the past so much that they wish it would come back, but I've noticed more often than not that if you truly love something from the past then the best thing you can wish for is for it to stay dead.

    • @TheStorytellerAJ
      @TheStorytellerAJ  9 หลายเดือนก่อน +160

      I think if The Boondocks ever *had* to return, Aaron had the right idea initially in rebooting it as a video game series, ala Shredder's Revenge or the South Park RPGs.

    • @saturncrush
      @saturncrush 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +46

      @@TheStorytellerAJI would have been down with video game space, …..very smart……..games are doing a better job then tv and movies now a days. The question is why was that angle killed?

    • @kyleflournoy7730
      @kyleflournoy7730 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +31

      To be honest, many times people don't want the thing to come back how it was. Because if it did, they wouldn't like it the way they did.
      What they actually want is to experience that feeling they had back when they were first experiencing it, which can't really be done

    • @MrVariant
      @MrVariant 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      Didn't even need to say that lol people generally didn't like season 4 😂 let alone tons of bad reboots nowadays. 0:44 would be funny if Riley had his gangstalicious style surprise with racist mobsters. No idea why black people adopted that culture in media.

    • @MRDLT00
      @MRDLT00 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      @@TheStorytellerAJ When the creators sit down, and dedicate a good chunk of time (not on short deadlines), like the South Park creators did with their RPGs, you can get some phenomenal stories and art.

  • @greencomet2011
    @greencomet2011 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +170

    Aaron's comments about him being too tired to care about whether or not he is gonna keep his job by doing what he is doing is just way too relatable.
    Ngl I know that feeling way too well.

  • @emptyaccount9647
    @emptyaccount9647 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +243

    I think it's really fun that Boondocks is so tied to Aaron and his values. I see a lot of push against "being selfish" and "writing stupid self inserts," but when done with enough insight and reflection like it is with Boondocks: it can help it feel less cold, more human. Like there's flesh and blood behind an artpiece rather than goop and metal behind a piece of content.

    • @TheStorytellerAJ
      @TheStorytellerAJ  9 หลายเดือนก่อน +77

      If there's one thing I've learned researching this series for these years, it's that The Boondocks has an insane amount of intertextual lore that nobody ever talks about, and that's kind of what I'm interested in bringing to the forefront with this channel.
      It's not just even Aaron, but how many different things he's drawing from. Like Riley is contemporary black culture and gangsta movies popularised by the white media. Jazmine is a play on W.E.B Dubois' double consciousness. Huey is radical black tradition. And, it's not really talked about! A big reason being that this series changed a lot, which we will cover with time, but it's so wild cause' Aaron had all these crazy ideas.
      And, with a series as influential and vast as The Boondocks, it feels like this stuff should be documented.

    • @rubyy.7374
      @rubyy.7374 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +15

      @@TheStorytellerAJ Really?? That’s very surprising! I felt like Aaron made it very un-subtle as to what each character was meant to represent and the deeper meanings to their interactions, to the point that even I could roughly identify them with my practically nonexistent knowledge of black culture. (That’s why I love watching videos like these because it fills in the gaps that my life experience can’t fill.)
      And as an aside, it’s seriously impressive that, while on paper the characters exist as archetypes, they all still have a certain level of grounding and depth to them. I don’t know how Aaron manages to do that.

    • @maadtee6281
      @maadtee6281 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      How I view it as stories are a writers self insert how the story is written is the important part

  • @yurp7444
    @yurp7444 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +41

    He came up with the Boondocks at 21. The way he illustrated his work struggles as Huey procrastinating on mowing the lawn.
    Masterpiece.
    🚶🏾‍♂️

  • @kimorayn1733
    @kimorayn1733 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +71

    Was literally watching Scarface yesterday. And now Riley is dripped out on my screen. The best part of the episode was the idea that he WOULD be dead if not for Huey's protectiveness.

  • @CarlosTC7
    @CarlosTC7 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +63

    Every one of your videos gives me a greater appreciation for what the Boondocks is. Much love.

    • @TheStorytellerAJ
      @TheStorytellerAJ  9 หลายเดือนก่อน +24

      I think a big goal of mine with these Boondocks videos when I make them is to get people to rethink the series and hopefully, by extension, the way they see certain things.

    • @CarlosTC7
      @CarlosTC7 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +7

      ​@@TheStorytellerAJ your work is much appreciated!

  • @xcaluhbration
    @xcaluhbration 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +25

    Aaron described the cram session so well. I’ve never had my job on the line with a project deadline before but I remember that feeling of having my homework assignment do in the morning and being like 🤷🏾‍♂️ “I’m tired. Let’s see how this goes”.

  • @chrisrockett5897
    @chrisrockett5897 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +71

    Damn, this franchise can just never take W's after season 3 of the show, smh..

    • @bryanc7094
      @bryanc7094 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      sadly

    • @OfLanceTheLonginus
      @OfLanceTheLonginus 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      The soil has gone sour..

  • @CIavis
    @CIavis 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +123

    ITS LOWKEY RAPID FIRE WITH THE UPLOADS 😭🙏🏾

    • @TheStorytellerAJ
      @TheStorytellerAJ  9 หลายเดือนก่อน +47

      I had a fire in me this March loool

    • @CIavis
      @CIavis 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      SHIT MAN, it’s my birth month, so I’m more than happy to see it.

    • @scratchyinkittenmittons
      @scratchyinkittenmittons 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      ​​@@TheStorytellerAJ we love it so much! Thank you dude, you're doing the lord's work in documenting this gargantuan, timeless, period piece

    • @valysheev
      @valysheev 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Happy bday brother ​@@CIavis

  • @reduxcity
    @reduxcity 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +67

    Oh this man tryna get PAID this month 🔥 (The saxophone rendition of “That Thing” in the beginning got me floating)

    • @PaygunFGC
      @PaygunFGC 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +6

      Oh snap, I kept thinking to myself that melody in the first track was so damn familiar, but couldn’t put my finger on it lol.
      Thanks for making me realize what song it was fam

  • @fire.smok3
    @fire.smok3 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +17

    It's pretty cool to see insights into McGruder as a person. I always thought he was a private and kind of mysterious person, since if you do a surface level search through the internet you don't find much about him, no social presence or anything. But I guess when you know where to look and what archives to dig into, you can find stuff about him.

    • @julias.7534
      @julias.7534 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      I think it's almost more accurate to say that he doesn't want to be found.

  • @irenelvr3149
    @irenelvr3149 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +100

    I hate how people always say "people are to sensitive to handle the boondocks today" its just wrong

    • @hankboog462
      @hankboog462 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +37

      I'll admit that with the media literacy problems we've been seeing I can very easily imagine a lot of people, including ones who agree with the intended message, getting mad and making a big stink about it. But it'd still be worth it

    • @kenonerboy
      @kenonerboy 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +15

      But its true

    • @Aspi3Gam3r
      @Aspi3Gam3r 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Well its true. The progressive left is a complete joke these days and would immediately take to Twitter to try and cancel Mcgruder if the Boondocks came back for another season the moment he takes potshots at them. i.e if there was an episode skewering Black Lives Matter and how the founders lined their pockets with all the donation money from the 2020 George Floyd riots after the fact instead of using that money towards helping impoverished African American communities like they should have.

    • @kyleflournoy7730
      @kyleflournoy7730 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      There's a dude running for governor of North Carolina right now that is literally just uncle ruckus but somehow worse in every way. I wish people were more sensitive about stuff like that...

    • @HeilRay
      @HeilRay 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      Nah its true though, not cause of the majority, but because certain people believe a vocal minority represents the majority. Basically Weirdo Karens.

  • @BlackAutMedia
    @BlackAutMedia 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +33

    Deadlines in general are already quite harsh, but adding in the additional layer of the thing you're on a deadline for often dealing with social commentary, Black politics and Black identity in general exacerbates the complexity tenfold. It's also easy to forget that the Boondocks TV series ran through a major strike through 2007-2008 which shaped a lot of Television in the US. This isn't even specific to McGruder, but I do wish more reviews and analyses would discuss works with these kinds of factors in mind because 9 times out of ten Budget/Deadline/Mandates make up the main drivers for why things fall apart. We have a pandemic, the advent of AI exploitation, an unprecedented number of strikes, so cases like this are going to continue happening time and time again, but series like this tend to get talked about as if they exist in a vacuum.
    It's made pretty clear several times in reading McGruder's statements where he practically shouts this that he would have ideally preferred to do specials rather than a running series and it'd be preferable to handling similar constraints with deadlines.
    Even in how people talk about Season 4 in a way that imagines the series creation as the result of this sort of cult of personality and that the series just magically lost its charm without McGruder's influence sidesteps a lot of the behind the scenes falling out and the true answer of administrative burden and having to suddenly handle additional labor gets obscured in talking about it.
    For those not in the know, Aaron more or less was involved in season 4's production despite the continued idea that the last season dropped in quality because he left. Storyteller alluded to it in the video and I imagine it'll see more depth in a later part but the idea that Aaron had nothing to do with season 4 which led to its drop in quality doesn't give the full picture.
    That also ends up contributing to these kinds of works getting put on these unreal pedestals and makes people really not receptive to examining them in a critical but loving lens, which is really not a great situation when a show very bluntly continues to drive you to ask questions about yourself, the media you engage with, and your culture.
    I don't personally hold the Boondocks in as high esteem as most people close to it and feel it gets put in this binary of progressive and beyond critique, but there's no denying its influence and how wild it is that something like it can even exist in the first place.
    You also can't examine those circumstances in a vacuum and what it says about the reality of creating Black art in these kinds of spaces though, so "always put things in perspective" is a valuable takeaway.

    • @TheStorytellerAJ
      @TheStorytellerAJ  9 หลายเดือนก่อน +14

      Agree with so much of this.
      I have a video up already that kind of goes into this, but I think the narrative that Season 4 was poor simply because Aaron wasn't involved feels dismissive, and like you said, ignores the factors into it's production, as well as the behind the scenes troubles.
      I also just take issue with the idea that projects and art are unable to stand without their original creators, and ignoring the contributions of a wider net and team to vision. Spiderverse is incredible, and it wasn't made by the original creator. I love Teen Titans (03 and GO!) and they're nothing like the original comics. I'm directing an indie game right now, and it would be nothing without the contributions of the team of artists, musicians and programmers I've had the fortune of consulting.
      People are quick to glorify original creators, and businesses know this. That's why they market around it now. Take one look at how many Japanese mangaka and US film directors have their name blasted in a trailer as a "seal of approval." It's just cult followings, and the problem is it not only dehumanises the creatives, but it monopolies what are effectively teams coming together to create something.
      If there's something I wanted to do with this docuseries, it was to get people to think differently about this series, and stop looking at it with such a binary perspective. Before anyone even watched the video, I got comments going "yeah, it's cause' this generation is too soft" when this video is actually about Aaron never wanting to return. People need to learn to be critical and think for themselves. There's stuff I'm gonna cover that's ugly. Really ugly. And, something I'm thankful for is that people are now having those conversations. I had to spend years reconciling with how I felt to some of this information alone. It's nice to see people come to similar (and different!) conclusions on how this series should be looked at.
      And, I've got something coming up on The Peanuts and The Boondocks, but just know that it's arguably the most influential thing to The Boondocks as a whole, and the respect Aaron had for Charles Schultz is incalculable.
      Took a peek at your channel btw. Looking forward to your Boondocks video. Sounds exciting!

    • @phantom-ri2tg
      @phantom-ri2tg 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +7

      @@TheStorytellerAJ I think a major contributor to the issue is that a lot of people judge a piece of media by its "potential". then when the series fails to live up to their expectations they try to come up with justifications.
      So many times I see people say a series started out good but then fell apart later on or this series had such a great idea but messed up. This while not considering the difficulty in bring an idea to life and/or overlooking flaws in the case of the former.

  • @BeastJrRules
    @BeastJrRules 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +53

    It’s sad how they’ll never return…. i just wish i can read the comics someday

    • @ertgfdcvb1
      @ertgfdcvb1 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      The entire run is on gocomics.

    • @NicoRaimont
      @NicoRaimont 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +16

      Check ur local library. These videos got me thinkin the same thing, so I checked my library and saw that they had it in the library system :)

    • @jonahwillis2781
      @jonahwillis2781 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +20

      And most libraries will buy any book for you as long as you return it afterwards. The library is hella underrated.

    • @evansamuels-lake350
      @evansamuels-lake350 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      U can literally just look up the boondocks online and read the whole thing

    • @GraphicFrost
      @GraphicFrost หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      @@jonahwillis2781 I didn't know that! That's awesome. Will the buy educational books? I'd like to study this winter.

  • @johnnyd3158
    @johnnyd3158 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +110

    The Boondocks is definitely needed in this toxic modern society that we’re living in currently.

    • @blakhawk999
      @blakhawk999 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +12

      What makes it toxic, in your opinion?

    • @jhonviel7381
      @jhonviel7381 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +8

      @@blakhawk999yeah i wanna know too!

    • @johnnyd3158
      @johnnyd3158 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +10

      @@blakhawk999 It’s all summed up with one stupid modern slang term, “woke.”

    • @hankboog462
      @hankboog462 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      ​@johnnyd3158 given its roots as an anti racist term wanting an "anti-woke" boondocks is like wanting straight queer eye

    • @Cowboycomando54
      @Cowboycomando54 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +7

      Make your own then.

  • @MaryamofShomal
    @MaryamofShomal 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +13

    Loved this video. While I knew Aaron felt some type of way vis a vis The Boondocks, I never realized it negatively impacted his life like that. I just pray he’s happy today and hopefully making art that he loves. I know that his comics and his show played a huge role in my young adulthood, and they’ll always have a place in my heart. That was some truly transformative, insightful, and entertaining as hell art. God bless 🫶🏽

  • @Grimloxz
    @Grimloxz 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +9

    Thanks for the EXCELLENT BTS of one of the most influential comics/animations of all time. Got me through a tough workout.

    • @TheStorytellerAJ
      @TheStorytellerAJ  9 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      Glad you enjoyed it! Hope the work out went well.

  • @DDarkestKnight
    @DDarkestKnight 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +8

    2:50 I remember laughing so hard at this strip when I first saw it... while changing the music I'm listening to on TH-cam from Queen to Kanye whenever somebody in my family walks by.

  • @wandering-W33D
    @wandering-W33D 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    Shut dude these videos are so informative, there's a lot to learn from Aaron's struggles here thank you for sharing these stories

  • @technopoptart
    @technopoptart 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    ugh 7:30 has given me ptsd. how many hundreds of times i have said "if i go to bed right now i x numbers of hours of sleep. being an artist is such a drain sometimes and hell, i love it so much and i have felt so down and crushed i felt how he did

  • @HardcoreRex
    @HardcoreRex 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +8

    I love these constant uploads. It feels surreal, tbh.

  • @PogieJoe
    @PogieJoe 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +10

    Wow I had no idea Aaron went through so much to make the strip. Poor guy

  • @perseusbolt3591
    @perseusbolt3591 14 วันที่ผ่านมา

    This is Genuinely one of the most interesting things I’ve ever listened to on this app. Thank you for making this.

  • @J_productionss
    @J_productionss 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +22

    I'mma be real, alot of the comments on this video sound like they're from people who didn't watch it all the way through 😬

    • @TheStorytellerAJ
      @TheStorytellerAJ  9 หลายเดือนก่อน +30

      Something I've learned doing TH-cam is that people drop comments before they even see the video.
      They come, see a title and give their take immediately like its Twitter or something. It's a hard thing to get mad at though since it helps alogorithimically.

    • @Misty_kittyyy
      @Misty_kittyyy 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      @@TheStorytellerAJpeople’s attention spans are fried at this point.

    • @TheStorytellerAJ
      @TheStorytellerAJ  9 หลายเดือนก่อน +16

      @@Misty_kittyyy I say this at the risk of ruining the algorithm, and people not commenting on my video. I think social media has conditioned a lot of people to be quick and hot with their takes, so as a result, we see titles and the first instinct is to throw out our immediate take.
      It started with articles and headlines, but now it's even videos. It's less fried attention spans, and more a culture where we base our conclusions off headlines as opposed to content consumption. And to be fair, given how clickbaity TH-cam has become, it's hard for me to blame them.

    • @Misty_kittyyy
      @Misty_kittyyy 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      @@TheStorytellerAJ yeah I agree with you on that and it definitely makes sense with the whole thing about clickbait. To each to their own, I just enjoy lengthy videos but those comments atleast someone help with the algorithm like you said

    • @TheStorytellerAJ
      @TheStorytellerAJ  9 หลายเดือนก่อน +7

      @@Misty_kittyyy Make no mistake, I still don't love it! But, I think it speaks to our current culture being very reactionary.

  • @12DAMDO
    @12DAMDO 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

    i'm okay with there not being a new Boondocks.. better for something good to be over than for it to stay and turn bad..

  • @TheHighwayman5674
    @TheHighwayman5674 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

    glad to have you back dude!! hope everything's going well with game development

    • @TheStorytellerAJ
      @TheStorytellerAJ  9 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      It's going well! Working with a Sonic fangame developer! Got some new designs and animations done! Need a new laptop... but outside that things are going super well!

  • @partybooru
    @partybooru 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    the part where you discussed the comparison to wingman makes a lot of sense
    i went back and rewatched the episode and i completely agree
    also, amazing video as always keep it up man

  • @SmilesChimichanga
    @SmilesChimichanga 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    Love to see you posting regularly again! Big love.
    FRIENDS, How many of us have them?

    • @TheStorytellerAJ
      @TheStorytellerAJ  9 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      BEFORE WE GO ANY FURTHER🗣️🗣️🗣️

    • @youbaouahdi4358
      @youbaouahdi4358 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      ONES WE CAN DEPEND ON!

  • @coconut4564
    @coconut4564 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    I was confused by the thumbnail, either it said never or…….”that” word.

    • @lilde7003
      @lilde7003 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      I swear i read it😂

  • @TwinRiver100
    @TwinRiver100 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    18:44
    Do you have any suggestions for where I should go to look up Aaron Mcgruder's involvement for season 4 as you suggested?
    I'd love to look this up, but you call to action was a little too broad for me and I'm very unsure as far as the proper direction and sources as far as what you're suggesting.

    • @TheStorytellerAJ
      @TheStorytellerAJ  9 หลายเดือนก่อน +11

      Look at the Leaked Sony Emails. (the biggest clue)
      Look at the photos with Aaron and Studio MIR (Season 4 animation crew, remember you can't animate anything without a script)
      Look at Aaron's name on the script of Episode 5 of Season 4 on the DVD Commentaries.
      Look at the lack of writing credit on "Breaking Grandad" (and the comic strip references in it!)
      Look at interview where Michael B Jordan says he was "surprised" Aaron got fired, since Aaron recruited him to be on to play Pretty Boy Flizzy.
      Look at the Boondocks(dot)net website and how much Aaron references Good Times.
      Look at Stinkmeaner 4 and the random Star Wars scene in the middle of it.
      Lastly, if possible, try asking Angela Nissel and see what she says. Ignoring my own personal conversation with her, I'm pretty sure she's tweeted exactly what happened at least twice.
      I really don't think the information is hard to find. The problem is, everyone just saw the PR statement and hearsay and took it at face value.

    • @TwinRiver100
      @TwinRiver100 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      thank you. I'll keep that in mind, and try to find some of this.

    • @DDarkestKnight
      @DDarkestKnight 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      ​@@TheStorytellerAJMy biggest issue is how to describe what happened. Like did Aaron basically quit or split up with Sony halfway through production? Also maybe it's because I'm mixing it up with the plan of franchising the Boondocks but I thought season 4 was originally supposed to be longer?

    • @jiveturkey9494
      @jiveturkey9494 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      It’s on the video archive site watch boondocks a writer’s perspective his name is on original scripts

  • @literarylady1125
    @literarylady1125 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +9

    Has anyone seen any recent photos or videos of Aaron McGruder? It’s like he disappeared.

    • @TheStorytellerAJ
      @TheStorytellerAJ  9 หลายเดือนก่อน +16

      He's on BoondocksBootleg.

  • @movahqiin
    @movahqiin 25 วันที่ผ่านมา +2

    He's fed up with the Comic Strip release schedule... meanwhile I'm here imagining what it'd be like if Aaron created a Manga version of The Boondocks on a weekly schedule... 🤔

    • @dcscruz2970
      @dcscruz2970 20 วันที่ผ่านมา

      It would burn him out. Many artists can’t handle weekly strips cause honestly is difficult

  • @Buck_Bentley
    @Buck_Bentley 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

    21:51 “a period peace”
    I like the Boondocks as it is; a post 9/11 period piece. I personally think the show got weaker during the Obama era. But I wish the show would have been like South Park in that it continued and commened on post-Trump/Biden’s America. and what it is like to be a child today.

  • @taecampus
    @taecampus 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

    Great video.
    It seems like Aaron was always having dealine issue. From his always doing comics, to even the TV show. Maybe he just needed a bigger team that knew the Boondocks feels? I know coming up with plot and story on a daily basis is extremely difficult.

    • @TheStorytellerAJ
      @TheStorytellerAJ  9 หลายเดือนก่อน +8

      Aaron's abit of a perfectionist. Hence why he grew to hate the strip. He continually had to rush it at points, and the art slowly began to take a hit too. He says in one of the citations that it's easier to yell at someone else for not doing their job, than to beat yourself up about not doing yours. I think the real reason is that Aaron was rushed into Hollywood, straight out of uni. And, he hadn't actually had the time to develop a stronger work ethic because "I still work like I'm in College."

    • @taecampus
      @taecampus 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@TheStorytellerAJ hmm now that you say that, it even felt that way during the show as well. Usually a show has its season releases almost yearly (or close to it) I believe, like Bobs burgers, Family guy, Simpsons, etc. The gap and wait between each season of The Boondocks were pretty massive if I remember correctly. I remember my friends and I talked about how it felt like forever for season 3 😄.
      But for the wait for each season (1-3 that is), it felt like almost every episode was given the best care. Like they took their time to make sure the story was on point.

    • @taecampus
      @taecampus 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@TheStorytellerAJ btw, quick side note.
      You mention that Aaron possibly had more involvement with season 4 right? Do you know how much? Because I was always under the impression that he helped a bit in the very beginning, and bailed to work on Black Jesus. Hence why every episode, every character felt like a bad imitation and shell of their early seasons counterpart

    • @TheStorytellerAJ
      @TheStorytellerAJ  9 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      @@taecampus The Boondocks is an anime-esque production, and that animation style takes much longer to produce.
      As for Season 4, he pretty much wrote the whole season, or at the very least, the drafts for them. There's a lot of evidence out there to support it. It'd be too long to list here.

  • @divineboi97
    @divineboi97 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    Too many people would cry and complain if the boondocks came back

  • @emanuelbrown1487
    @emanuelbrown1487 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    I knew that wingman episode was a close to home one for him jeez give this man his flowers 💐🌸 12:32

  • @willx_1
    @willx_1 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    I admired the comic strip. It was so on point in so many ways. What I see from the transition to the t.v. series they dropped one of the best characters thats most slept on, Michael Ceasar. Ceasar is Huey's air-alike, he is who gave him the conversation and brought out the insight and philosophy of Huey, not Riley, (until they went on t.v.) If there ever is a reboot, Ceasar must be written in so the audience gets the Huey Freeman they deserve.

    • @willx_1
      @willx_1 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      When Sean Combs was acquitted in the club shooting, Huey refused to leave his room in protest, who was there to talk him out of it Ceasar, not Riley.

  • @bama2055
    @bama2055 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    I used to read all the comments on the pearls before swine collections, in which pastis describes some of the major challenges that comes with newspaper every-day-of-the-week comic creating, so I already had an idea of how challenging that field was.
    I'd never considered how succeeding, even in fields like that, can have a negative impact on peer relationships in that regard, though. Thank you for your video, gave me a lot to think about!
    As an aside, it's weird that, even despite this evidence that the creator is very much done with boondocks strips, there's people that would still clamor for more. It strikes me as entitlement over media, that after someone likes something, that there's somehow a moral obligation to keep making the thing they like. Very creepy. I appreciate your effort to humanize the creators behind things that often get stretched beyond the limits of humanity in culture.

    • @TheStorytellerAJ
      @TheStorytellerAJ  9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      You know, I think a part of it is this cult like idolisation of Aaron McGruder that doesn't really help with it. They don't look at him as a person with shortcomings but this unspoken visionary who poofed this culturally iconic series out of thin air with over 20 years of history.
      It was work. It was co-writers. It was stress. And, I think that's important to keep in mind with these productions always. And, it's not even an exclusive issue to him. Corporations profit off how much people idolise original creators and their involvement in licensed projects all the time. It's unhealthy and ignores the teams involved, and puts them on an unrealistic pedestal, destined to disappoint because they're only human. And, black creatives don't deserve that pressue. At least, not to me.
      It's always cool hearing how many people watching this series are coming from the background of someone who read the comics growing up. Glad you're enjoying the series! Hopefully I'm doing it some semblance of justice.

    • @bama2055
      @bama2055 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@TheStorytellerAJ
      Yeah, good points all around.
      While I always appreciate revolutionary ideas, I think that the classic "you can kill a man, but you can't kill an idea" can be a double-edged sword in that regard. When something becomes part of "revolutionary canon", the story starts to take credence over the people. It can be a poetic thing at times, but it is often also painful how those stories stretch people so they fit into an aggrandized reality.
      As an aside, so I don't feel like I'm taking unearned credit: my first statement was about the "Pearls Before Swine" comic series, as my reference point as to how challenging that kind of work can be. I'm sorry to say that I only ever read the "Boondocks" comics roughly a couple months ago, largely spurred on by your content.

  • @sneedmando186
    @sneedmando186 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    This may be one of my favorite videos of yours, just 7 min in and its touch some very important topics in a short sweet way. Amazing as always ❤

  • @afaultychromo
    @afaultychromo 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    Boondocks, Calvin & Hobbes and Peanuts comics.. every morning for breakfast in the Chicago Tribune.. got me thru stupid school with a smile.. 🫠🙏 thx Aaron!❤

  • @SilvaProductions34
    @SilvaProductions34 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    Another banger, always amazing seeing your uploads.

  • @jjfallnov
    @jjfallnov 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    I wonder if we will ever get the video game that they were coming out with. I remember reading DJ Pooh and John Imah were attached to that project.

    • @TheStorytellerAJ
      @TheStorytellerAJ  9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      I feel like the reboot really killed those chances.

  • @mgj1s479
    @mgj1s479 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    The brother should probably just write for some show and work with other writers to keep the pressure to a minimum. As far as the old homies getting attitudes at him, most celebrities grow away from their old friends. That's how it goes. Start a family and create your own support system.

  • @necomiller5892
    @necomiller5892 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    Aaron McGruder enjoy the rest of your life man I've understood everything you said and everything you have shown everyone. I will let you go and take care of yourself.

    • @TheStorytellerAJ
      @TheStorytellerAJ  9 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      i read this like the man was dying lol

  • @IsiahTomas
    @IsiahTomas 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    Lol, Lauryn Hill in the background, that is GENIUS.

    • @Theohybrid
      @Theohybrid 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Don’t let Ms Lauryn get a hold of it. 😅

  • @RoseCalyx
    @RoseCalyx 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Just want to say I'm really enjoying this series. Very well put together and a refreshing way to approach the Boondocks.

    • @TheStorytellerAJ
      @TheStorytellerAJ  9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Glad you like them! They're a lot of work and a lot of research so thank you so much. Comments like this keep me going.

  • @dochoskinsjr9807
    @dochoskinsjr9807 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    WOW! Damn, I had an idea things were difficult behind the scenes, but not like that. The Boondocks will be SORELY missed. Rest up brother and hopefully we'll see it again sometime in the future.

  • @lfrancis8980
    @lfrancis8980 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Really incredible video and incredible series. Thanks for making.

    • @TheStorytellerAJ
      @TheStorytellerAJ  9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      It's been on my back burner forever to cover some of this stuff. Glad people are liking and appreciating it. I'll keep going how I can.

  • @noneed8468
    @noneed8468 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    thank you for these, i find aaron fascinating and wish we could converse for better or worse feel as though we see the world through a similar lense, do you know what he is up to now days?

    • @TheStorytellerAJ
      @TheStorytellerAJ  9 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      not too parasocial now. He's over on IG - BoondocksBootleg

  • @someguyjohn6599
    @someguyjohn6599 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Damn, after hearing about how much he suffered physically from this work, it makes you wonder if he even wants to come back or if he should.
    He’s older now so those trips to the Hospital could be more severe.

  • @t5039-x7q
    @t5039-x7q 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    this is such a well-made video bro wow

  • @Brilchan
    @Brilchan 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Very interesting video thanks for making it

  • @vikkidc3859
    @vikkidc3859 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

    A high paid worker is still a worker and it's hard out here

  • @franciscotolley
    @franciscotolley 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    awesome vid!

  • @brandonbarnes9681
    @brandonbarnes9681 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    16:43 He definitely wrote the “Freedom Riders” and “Pretty Boy Flizzy” episodes

  • @JohanCruyff-wj4pf
    @JohanCruyff-wj4pf 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Took me a while to realise that it said “Never” behind the guy in the thumbnail there. Thought it said something else.

  • @JShwah
    @JShwah 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    Nah bro this thumbnail made me do a double take 😭😭😭

    • @JShwah
      @JShwah 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      buddy changed the thumbnail, i'd like to think my comment inspired that

  • @485OCEAN
    @485OCEAN 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    i love this channel so much bro

    • @TheStorytellerAJ
      @TheStorytellerAJ  9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      i'm glad you like it, it's deffo a passion project of sorts

  • @thrillhouse4151
    @thrillhouse4151 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Kinda hard to have newspaper comics when there’s no one under 70 that still gets them.

  • @spac30ut47
    @spac30ut47 หลายเดือนก่อน

    This connection with The Boondocks being a reflection of Aaron’s life makes me wonder that in season 4 when Huey quit being a black activist and “terrorist” if it was a parallel on McGruder giving up the comic strip to focus more on the show

  • @Dm34421
    @Dm34421 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +12

    Making weekly comic strips sounds stressful for anybody. And plus it’s even harder to make insightful satire nowadays since everyone wants to be political commentators

    • @trunksvert8766
      @trunksvert8766 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      It is idk how Charles Schulz the creator of peanuts did it for years

    • @TheStorytellerAJ
      @TheStorytellerAJ  9 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      @@trunksvert8766 I wanna make a video about The Boondocks and The Peanuts, because the amount of respect Aaron had for Charles Schulz cannot be understated.

    • @trunksvert8766
      @trunksvert8766 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      @@TheStorytellerAJ if you do I can’t wait to see it 🙏🏽

  • @Theohybrid
    @Theohybrid 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Actually, speaking of Lauryn, Lauryn kinda showed me how staying in a preserved mold can be counterintuitive for the times. When we were young, we looked up to these people. Now that we’re older, we have our own opinions. But what if those greats kept their opinions from way back but didn’t change.
    What if Andre 3k kept his Love Below phase going till now? Even Spike Lee didn’t strike like he used to. We all change and make do of that time that’s gone.
    We expect an age-appropriate trajectory yet to keep that “sparkle” we’ve always liked but that’s just not reasonably realistic if we _really_ expect and think about it.
    Fame is temporary and fleeting.
    It’s like a flame, it’s beautiful, powerful, glorious, intense but eventually goes out.
    We act like children not wanting something to change but it must. Time marches on.
    We’ll eventually get our age-appropriate “Boondocks” from someone else by some other medium.
    We’ve just gotta give people mercy and grace to create. That way, without the pressure, they’ll cook and give us something special.

  • @melearoartown
    @melearoartown 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Beautiful video 💖

  • @_CE53
    @_CE53 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    In Huey's own words: "Zero."
    But whose lifepoints is Aaron referencing here?
    Obviously, it's yours.

  • @lspuria8440
    @lspuria8440 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Who else thought the Never in the thumbnail was something else? 💀

  • @akiba2x0
    @akiba2x0 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I'm surprised you haven't made a video going in-depth of the show's intro theme and how it correlates with the show's overall message.
    (Maybe you are busy cooking it)

    • @TheStorytellerAJ
      @TheStorytellerAJ  9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      Since I'm covering this series, mostly, in order, I will get to that when I finish with all the comic strip's era. But, tbh Judo Flip isn't that intricate of a song. There's some bible scripture. A Malcolm X reference. And, the full song is about moving to the suburbs. Nothing crazy.
      I think the thing I like most about Judo Flip is that it's kind of just a black revolutionary's theme song? The whole song is basically saying "I'm a black freedom fighter, and I won't stop fighting" and that's part of what makes it really cool to me.

  • @Cowboycomando54
    @Cowboycomando54 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    "Art is a compromise between your vision and reality"-Ross Scott.

  • @theeternalgus9119
    @theeternalgus9119 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I think you may be my favourite TH-camr.

  • @cyanified
    @cyanified 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Yo is that sissel ghost trick in your pfp

    • @TheStorytellerAJ
      @TheStorytellerAJ  9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Yeah, it is! I forget how many people have no idea how my channel was originally Ace Attorney and Ghost Trick videos.

    • @cyanified
      @cyanified 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@TheStorytellerAJ lets gooooo love to see aa and gt fans

    • @TheStorytellerAJ
      @TheStorytellerAJ  9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@cyanified I have a second channel dedicated to Ace Attorney if you want more of that stuff.
      It's called The Mason System. Similarly, if you wanna find my old stuff, just go into the playlist "Buried Ace Attorney Content" on this channel.

  • @doubleflores8350
    @doubleflores8350 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    I, for one, would love for Boondocks to return, in the current political climate, this show would thrive. The issue, media literacy is dead. It would thrive alright, but for the wrong reason.

    • @thesecondplace2314
      @thesecondplace2314 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      It’s true,it’s all on MySpace.

  • @meshiterofoodblog1615
    @meshiterofoodblog1615 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    This is a great video. This is a story that needs to be told. Remove the mask and show people what life is actually like. This was a job!

  • @adaml7349
    @adaml7349 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    The Boondocks can most definitely be relevant in today’s world. The issue is, people would probably not like what Aaron would have to say through his art. His Obama’s election episode was ahead of its time by a decade for most people.

  • @jordanlylesmusic
    @jordanlylesmusic 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Shoutout to TheStoryteller- what if Aaron McGruder had a biopic? Would love if you did a dissection of this scene from the film Mouth of Babes.
    th-cam.com/video/48ud2VFToRw/w-d-xo.htmlsi=FwW59E_1_7qDGBvS

  • @babybee576
    @babybee576 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I think back in 2018 or 2019 one of those years, I don’t remember but I heard the creator made a couple new boondocks comics, I watched a video where somebody was talking bout it.

    • @TheStorytellerAJ
      @TheStorytellerAJ  9 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      He did but those don't count imo. I'm taking abouts syndicated run.

    • @babybee576
      @babybee576 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@TheStorytellerAJ oh

  • @seafoaaam
    @seafoaaam 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    tread lightly with that thumbnail boy.

    • @TheStorytellerAJ
      @TheStorytellerAJ  9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      i noticed it, and so many people are commenting about it, at this point imma just keep it.

  • @Aegis---
    @Aegis--- 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Christ I read that thumbnail wrong

  • @ynk-ike
    @ynk-ike 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Cool music choice 👍🏾

  • @animepullup2000
    @animepullup2000 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

    What deal did he have in seasons 1-3 that gave him creator control.

  • @Candyghost272
    @Candyghost272 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    I hate my peoples I try so much much every traumatic thing that happened to me was because of them

  • @TheSapphireLeo
    @TheSapphireLeo 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Unless people become intuitively and when researched, authentic?

  • @Candyghost272
    @Candyghost272 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    America is a hell that looks like heaven

  • @Theohybrid
    @Theohybrid 7 หลายเดือนก่อน

    When I heard “I’m going to Cuba”, and I saw Black Jesus: I believed it,
    He was tired and done.

  • @greenarrow.
    @greenarrow. 8 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Yeah the way the world is today is never coming back

  • @spritesensation
    @spritesensation 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Man... I was kinda holding out hope. It's not like the show where you have to get actors and budget and greenlight it and stuff... with the comics he can just... y'know... _make_ it. oh well.

  • @petitnicollas
    @petitnicollas 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    You got the Boondocks Phd

    • @TheStorytellerAJ
      @TheStorytellerAJ  9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      I just spent a lot of time researching the series as a kid. I wanted to understand what went into creating one of my favorite shows, and stumbled into a lot of stuff as a result.

  • @nathanielyoung7418
    @nathanielyoung7418 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Bring the original thumbnail back please 😂😂😂

  • @KingJupiter
    @KingJupiter 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    That makes a lot a lot of sense actually

  • @SonGojit456
    @SonGojit456 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    You could be a Biographer If you're not that capable

  • @rowdrowd5738
    @rowdrowd5738 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Am glade it stopped i dont think i can take riley doin anything drill related literally would break my heart

    • @MaryamofShomal
      @MaryamofShomal 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Having graduated high school in 2001, I had no idea what you meant at first. Then it hit me 😔💔

  • @Cory-zn5mq
    @Cory-zn5mq 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Unpopular opinion people should let the boondocks rest in terms of wanting a new version it's a masterpiece and should be left as that

  • @pastapockets984
    @pastapockets984 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Thumbnail moment.

  • @Spazlites
    @Spazlites 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Crazy how the video just got edited while watching lol

    • @TheStorytellerAJ
      @TheStorytellerAJ  9 หลายเดือนก่อน

      DJVlad was is copyright claiming the Carl Jones interview, so I had to cut it.

  • @SouthEast-dh6mu
    @SouthEast-dh6mu 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    I miss them in the Washington Post 🤝🏿

  • @theinternetofficer6594
    @theinternetofficer6594 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    Crazy thumbnail, looks like huey coverin up the n word lmao

  • @magnetoonproductions9541
    @magnetoonproductions9541 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    That’s okay, because it means that the Boondocks brand can stay pure and not be contaminated by lousy reboots.

  • @zainmudassir2964
    @zainmudassir2964 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Never ever

  • @SlugSage
    @SlugSage 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Nah, i still want it to comeback.
    The strip, not the show

  • @pongo4966
    @pongo4966 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    15:22

  • @Mechadondada
    @Mechadondada 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I hear DOOM playing in the background. Appropriate. 👊🏿