What do you think?
Rate this book
The Boondocks #5
All the Rage: The Boondocks Past and Present
Here are the latest, greatest, and last of the daily and Sunday strips; banned comics that have never been seen before, with Aaron McGruder’s commentary on them; and interviews and profiles of the man behind the rage. All the Rage is a must for any true Boondocks fan.
280 pages, Paperback
First published October 30, 2007
13 people are currently reading
313 people want to read
About the author
Aaron McGruder
12 books165 followersAaron McGruder is an American cartoonist best known for writing and drawing The Boondocks, a Universal Press Syndicate comic strip about two young African American brothers from inner-city Chicago now living with their grandfather in a sedate suburb. Through the leftist Huey (named after Huey P. Newton) and his younger brother Riley, a young want-to-be gangsta, the strip explores issues involving African American culture and American politics.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
March 11, 2008
Well I do have to admit that the whole 'banned strips' section at the back was a bit of a letdown, with mostly nothing you haven't seen before. Clearly a publisher's gimmick to make people buy the book. But here's the thing, Andrews McMeel: why bother? Aaron McGruder is a genius ( Birth of a Nation notwithstanding) and he doesn't need your bullshit trickery to make people buy anything his beautiful hands have touched.
The other thing is that, by putting all the interviews and articles one right after the other like this, you kind of start to hate the interviewers a little, because you see that everyone asks the same goddamn questions. Hello? Originality maybe? We all know how and why he's angry, we've heard about the scandal with the post-September 11th strips, and we're tired of hearing him obfuscate and hedge about all the fallen-through TV deals that preceded The Boondocks being picked up by Adult Swim. Anything else please? Like who were his influences and what his friends are like and what kind of socks he wears and whether he will go on a date with me perhaps? (Obvs I'm not a journalist either, but still.)
Anyway, no matter. Clearly why don't you have this book in your bathroom yet? It's amazing.
**************************************************************
Ok, this is totally not me cheating on Pynchon — I am still firmly ensconced in Against the Day — but sometimes a girl needs a break, you know?
And ok, though I was kinda sorta trying to deny it, I have to admit that I have a really serious crush on Aaron McGruder. In addition to tons and tons of strips, All the Rage has a collection of interviews, articles, and other stuff by and about Aaron, and he is just as articulate, furious, passionate, and humble as you would hope. Apparently the last section of the book is all the strips that were banned (or got the strip canceled) from various newspapers, but I read books from start to finish and haven't gotten there yet.
Holy crap The Boondocks is fucking great.
February 7, 2017
Content: Fantastic, as always. But with The Boondocks, what else is there to expect?
Format: Eh. Not ideal for the way I like to read.
Even with books that encourage you to flip around and read sections out of order, my preference is to read books in order from cover to cover. And these days, I tend to only read comic strip anthologies on my breaks at work, in 15-minute increments. That way, I don't as easily lose my place.
All the Rage is broken up into three sections: a collection of strips, a collection of interviews and a collection of controversial strips, including some that have appeared in previous anthologies.
The strips, as I've stated, are excellent. For me, the humor still holds up, and the socio-political commentary is still eerily relevant to our current political climate. I was not politically engaged at the time when the strips were first being published, and though I still have a long way to go to understanding politics (both domestic and foreign), I'm at an age now where I can read these strips and understand what they "meant" in the broader cultural landscape, as well as the risks McGruder took in expanding what political cartoons (and the comics page in general) were capable of.
I love Aaron McGruder's point of view, and I find him insightful in both his strips and his interviews. But man, it was a SLOG reading through those interviews. They were interesting sure, but reading one after the other became incredibly tedious. I enjoyed the controversial strips that came after the interview section, but I wished the strips and the interviews were mixed together, so that we could see the comics on which the interviews were commenting, as well as breaking up the monotony a little.
I acknowledge, it's a petty complete. If I had different reading habits, I might have better enjoyed the interviews and the book overall. Nevertheless, the content is still thoroughly entertaining and thought-provoking. I don't know if this collection in particular would change your opinion on The Boondocks, but if you like it, you'll like All the Rage.
Format: Eh. Not ideal for the way I like to read.
Even with books that encourage you to flip around and read sections out of order, my preference is to read books in order from cover to cover. And these days, I tend to only read comic strip anthologies on my breaks at work, in 15-minute increments. That way, I don't as easily lose my place.
All the Rage is broken up into three sections: a collection of strips, a collection of interviews and a collection of controversial strips, including some that have appeared in previous anthologies.
The strips, as I've stated, are excellent. For me, the humor still holds up, and the socio-political commentary is still eerily relevant to our current political climate. I was not politically engaged at the time when the strips were first being published, and though I still have a long way to go to understanding politics (both domestic and foreign), I'm at an age now where I can read these strips and understand what they "meant" in the broader cultural landscape, as well as the risks McGruder took in expanding what political cartoons (and the comics page in general) were capable of.
I love Aaron McGruder's point of view, and I find him insightful in both his strips and his interviews. But man, it was a SLOG reading through those interviews. They were interesting sure, but reading one after the other became incredibly tedious. I enjoyed the controversial strips that came after the interview section, but I wished the strips and the interviews were mixed together, so that we could see the comics on which the interviews were commenting, as well as breaking up the monotony a little.
I acknowledge, it's a petty complete. If I had different reading habits, I might have better enjoyed the interviews and the book overall. Nevertheless, the content is still thoroughly entertaining and thought-provoking. I don't know if this collection in particular would change your opinion on The Boondocks, but if you like it, you'll like All the Rage.
February 12, 2023
some of this aged dubiously/never was that great to begin with but I can't overstate how useful 75 pages of interviews are to my paper
August 3, 2020
This is a great book to complete the series of The Boondocks compilations, and it's an awful shame that it's out of print. I couldn't find it at local libraries even though I live in the same town where the author grew up! It has all the strips from December 2004-December 2005; 75 pages of interviews and articles from 1999-2005--a kind of scrapbook, really--and all the strips that have caused any kind of controversy, 1999-2006, at the end. It was really, really helpful for my work updating a paper I wrote about the strip 15 years ago and only wish it were affordable enough for me to add it to my collection.
April 10, 2021
It is so crazy that this book is so relatable to today: bird flu pandemic. Cosby. Almost 20 years post 9-11 and we are farther divided than we have ever been in my lifetime. I just wish I paid more attention when it was first published.
Read
March 24, 2021I liked Because I Know You Don't Read The Newspaper a little better. Was interesting reading this right now with the context of cancel culture, anniversary of the Iraq War, covid (there are strips about bird flu). A few pages are homophobic
October 11, 2011
This a a great collection of strips from one of the boldest, most outspoken voices on the left. In the early to mid 00s (what, exactly, are we calling the first 10 years of this century?) when almost everyone in the political mainstream--not just Republicans but even Democrats--was beating the drum for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Aaron McGruder was one of the few who forcefully and often brazenly questioned America's foreign policy.
McGruder criticized--I think quite appropriately---not only the merits of the two wars but also the policies of the Bush Administration and the simplistic, childish notion that the terrorists "hate us for our freedoms" and were pure evil. McGruder recognized that the reasons for the terrorist attacks were far more complicated than our political leaders were willing to admit, and despite this fact being fairly obvious to anyone not blinded by delusions (usually, self-delusions) that America is the greatest nation in the world and the savior of the world, almost no one in the media was willing to even discuss whether anything America did was even slightly questionable, but McGruder was willing to venture down that path.
And McGruder did all of this on the comics page in his magnificent Boondocks strip. Many times, many papers pulled McGruder's strips because of the controversy that the strips engendered, but McGruder did not back down. His protagonist, Huey, although just a pre-adolescent kid living in the suburbs, spoke for many of us on the left who felt that no one was questioning America's ridiculous wars abroad and restrictions of freedoms at home.
This collection showcases not only the most controversial Boondocks strips but also some original strips that either were changed or never run because of their content. Additionally, there are a number of excerpts from interviews with McGruder.
If you enjoy sharp, biting political and cultural satire and you still enjoy reading the comics page, you should really check out this collection of Boondocks strips.
McGruder criticized--I think quite appropriately---not only the merits of the two wars but also the policies of the Bush Administration and the simplistic, childish notion that the terrorists "hate us for our freedoms" and were pure evil. McGruder recognized that the reasons for the terrorist attacks were far more complicated than our political leaders were willing to admit, and despite this fact being fairly obvious to anyone not blinded by delusions (usually, self-delusions) that America is the greatest nation in the world and the savior of the world, almost no one in the media was willing to even discuss whether anything America did was even slightly questionable, but McGruder was willing to venture down that path.
And McGruder did all of this on the comics page in his magnificent Boondocks strip. Many times, many papers pulled McGruder's strips because of the controversy that the strips engendered, but McGruder did not back down. His protagonist, Huey, although just a pre-adolescent kid living in the suburbs, spoke for many of us on the left who felt that no one was questioning America's ridiculous wars abroad and restrictions of freedoms at home.
This collection showcases not only the most controversial Boondocks strips but also some original strips that either were changed or never run because of their content. Additionally, there are a number of excerpts from interviews with McGruder.
If you enjoy sharp, biting political and cultural satire and you still enjoy reading the comics page, you should really check out this collection of Boondocks strips.
August 11, 2008
"It's not always easy being hated on." In the politically charged atmosphere that is post-9/11 America, cartoonist Aaron McGruder summarizes, with that line, the experiences of anyone courageous enough to take a strong political stand nowadays. The first half of "All The Rage" contains most of the final "Boondocks" comic strips before McGruder discontinued the daily series in favor of converting it to animation for Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. Issues of politics, current events and race are dealt with strongly and humorously through the experiences of Huey, Riley and Grandad Freeman, who have moved from the south side of Chicago to the recently desegregated suburban community of Woodcrest. The second half of "Rage" shows transcripts of interviews with, and articles about, McGruder through the seven years he worked on the "Boondocks" strip, as well as never-seen-before cartoons altered or censored for their controversy. The famous (or infamous?) series, drawn less than a month after 9/11, depicting Huey phoning the FBI Terrorist Hotline with information on those who financed Bin Laden in the past ("OK, the first one is 'Reagan.' That's R-E-A-...hello? HELLO?") is shown in its entirety. Funny stuff, but not for the easily offended.
October 12, 2014
All the Rage stands out from other Boondocks books by featuring not only McGruder's superb comics, but transcripts of interviews with McGruder, and an entire section of Boondocks panels that were pulled from various papers - along with the given reasons why.
I enjoyed reading the comics and loved getting the inside scoop on which panels were puled from which papers, and why. I also found the interviews to be revealing. McGruder had a number of things to say, and not surprisingly some of it was quite poignant. Apropos for his magnificent insight both inside the panels and outside them! However, after fulling reading the first few interviews transcripts, I felt content and that reading more could be redundant and superfluous - it was. The interviews start to blend together, leaving the reader reading impatiently until the next section.
If there had been fewer interviews included All the Rage would easily earn five stars. Regardless, though, I need to pick up other Boondocks collections!
I enjoyed reading the comics and loved getting the inside scoop on which panels were puled from which papers, and why. I also found the interviews to be revealing. McGruder had a number of things to say, and not surprisingly some of it was quite poignant. Apropos for his magnificent insight both inside the panels and outside them! However, after fulling reading the first few interviews transcripts, I felt content and that reading more could be redundant and superfluous - it was. The interviews start to blend together, leaving the reader reading impatiently until the next section.
If there had been fewer interviews included All the Rage would easily earn five stars. Regardless, though, I need to pick up other Boondocks collections!
June 20, 2008
This book is huge and includes (as the back cover says), "the latest, greatest, and last of the daily and Sunday strips; banned comics that have never been seen before, with Aaron McGruder's commentary on them; and interviews and profiles of the man behind the rage."
Part II ("The Media") got a little tedious and took me the longest to read. At first, it was really cool to learn McGruder's thoughts about things, often in his own words, but after the third time of reading the same information, I was a little bored. Part II was definitely for hardcore fans or people writing term papers.
I did enjoy reading The Boondocks cartoons, and it was especially cool to get to see the ones that were banned by various newspaper.
I borrowed this book from the library and I was glad I did. Only a truly, truly hardcore fan of The Boondocks will want to purchase this book. Everyone else will probably be satisfied by borrowing it, reading it, and returning it.
Part II ("The Media") got a little tedious and took me the longest to read. At first, it was really cool to learn McGruder's thoughts about things, often in his own words, but after the third time of reading the same information, I was a little bored. Part II was definitely for hardcore fans or people writing term papers.
I did enjoy reading The Boondocks cartoons, and it was especially cool to get to see the ones that were banned by various newspaper.
I borrowed this book from the library and I was glad I did. Only a truly, truly hardcore fan of The Boondocks will want to purchase this book. Everyone else will probably be satisfied by borrowing it, reading it, and returning it.
August 25, 2008
A decent collection, although there's a long middle section composed entirely of news articles about the man and his strip. Kinda dull, kind of egocentric, I didn't finish all of them. Bad packrat.
It's funny how different the strip looked between the time he hand-drew them and when he switched to drawing with a computer. And then at some point after that he hired an illustrator to do it, but I can't tell the difference. It kind of lost some life once he switched to a computer, although the early strips (like all early strips) did have a rough, unpolished quality. It's especially funny because the TV show looks so good and it's clear an asston of effort went into the art. In the later strips it just seems like incidental pictures illustrating a verbal joke, drawn with the least effort manageable.
Not that I could produce a daily strip.
It's funny how different the strip looked between the time he hand-drew them and when he switched to drawing with a computer. And then at some point after that he hired an illustrator to do it, but I can't tell the difference. It kind of lost some life once he switched to a computer, although the early strips (like all early strips) did have a rough, unpolished quality. It's especially funny because the TV show looks so good and it's clear an asston of effort went into the art. In the later strips it just seems like incidental pictures illustrating a verbal joke, drawn with the least effort manageable.
Not that I could produce a daily strip.
October 1, 2012
Okay, so I had never really read Boondocks before. I had people recommend it to me, but I wasn't really sure I was the right audience.
I picked this one up after glancing at it and read most of it. It's actually funny! It's pretty fair with criticism and mocking of everybody (although it does lean left in politics). I'm definitely going to check out the other books and the cartoon.
I only gave it three stars for two reasons:
1) I would have liked more author commentary on the strips presented (since they were so "controversial").
2) I lost interest in the middle section which is a whole bunch of transcripts of McGruder being interviewed by various media outlets. They became really repetitive and I honestly didn't finish that section.
All in all, very fun read though.
I picked this one up after glancing at it and read most of it. It's actually funny! It's pretty fair with criticism and mocking of everybody (although it does lean left in politics). I'm definitely going to check out the other books and the cartoon.
I only gave it three stars for two reasons:
1) I would have liked more author commentary on the strips presented (since they were so "controversial").
2) I lost interest in the middle section which is a whole bunch of transcripts of McGruder being interviewed by various media outlets. They became really repetitive and I honestly didn't finish that section.
All in all, very fun read though.
January 9, 2017
The Boondocks is a brilliant comic series by Aaron McGruder which examines rap culture and the 21st C black america from the perspective of his protagonist who has been transplanted from NYC to the white burbs with his grandfather. Beautifully drawn and at times hilarious and others both maddening with truths about inherent racism and injustice, it is a critical read - particularly now that with the election of Drumpf, the racists have all come out of hiding and are wearing their racism on their sleeves.
BTW, there were also a couple of seasons of an animated show based on the comics and it is VERY worthwhile as well.
BTW, there were also a couple of seasons of an animated show based on the comics and it is VERY worthwhile as well.
June 23, 2008
One of my students gave me this collection as a birthday gift this month and it is just awesome!!! He told me he was at the store with his dad and he knew this was what he should get for me (I have some strips up in my classroom) but his dad expressed trepidation... my student stayed the course and it has been good times. The satisfaction one can have from taking in a single strip is worth it. This collection includes some banned or censored strips and interviews with McGruder. I am happy to load to anyone in town.
August 12, 2008
You know, I didn't really need the book, because I have his others (and apparently all of the banned strips), but I'm still glad I got it for a present (thanks Kim!).
While it was a bit tedious, I enjoyed the media section because I hadn't seen most of the interviews before and, as a seasoned journalist who left MSM about 13 years ago, I sometimes get a kick out of seeing how the MSM deals with a guy that they simply just don't get (like Mike Wallace interviewing Ricky Williams).
The money strip was the final one, which I not only hadn't seen before--that made it all worthwhile.
While it was a bit tedious, I enjoyed the media section because I hadn't seen most of the interviews before and, as a seasoned journalist who left MSM about 13 years ago, I sometimes get a kick out of seeing how the MSM deals with a guy that they simply just don't get (like Mike Wallace interviewing Ricky Williams).
The money strip was the final one, which I not only hadn't seen before--that made it all worthwhile.
August 13, 2016
If you didn't read The Boondocks when it was in the papers, do yourself a favor and get caught up. This particular book helps frame how controversial the comic was--a huge sampling of daily strips, reprinted interviews, and historical/social context for some of the biggest instances of censorship. There are lots of pop culture references that feel dated only 10 years out, which could be problematic for younger readers to gain access; for them I'd recommend some of the other collections before picking at the big battles with this one.
September 11, 2016
Well, seeing i'm on holidays i thought way not read a few comics i have bean eyeing for quit some time.
I tried to read all i got of boondocks, but im not sure its all that come out in the newspaper, but its all i could get. And it is awesome, and to think it was made in the Bush's administration, something showing a left critic from 1999 to 2005, openly showing the ignorance and the extreme that the media will goo just so it can claim that the US have two party's. But they are the same and in here they show it, just like all the racism that black people experience.
I tried to read all i got of boondocks, but im not sure its all that come out in the newspaper, but its all i could get. And it is awesome, and to think it was made in the Bush's administration, something showing a left critic from 1999 to 2005, openly showing the ignorance and the extreme that the media will goo just so it can claim that the US have two party's. But they are the same and in here they show it, just like all the racism that black people experience.
October 3, 2008
Aaron McGruder is my hero. I am really sad that the boondocks no longer exists as a comic. This book was a fitting end though, especially with all the extra insight of articles and extras. the articles were especially telling, although repetitive, and the side by side comparison of censored comics with their originals was a nice glimpse into a world i know nothing about (the newspaper comic writer world).
July 14, 2009
Statements that I had a problem with
“Oh , and I actually went out of my way to not do any lesbian jokes , but people still accused me of questioning her sexual orientation. Is it my fault we don’t ever see her with a man?!” (229) This really disappointed me.
“And what I really like about this idea is that it isn’t the least bit sexist or chauvinistic…” (230).
It is unpleasantly surprising that Aaron McGruder is so ignorant.
“Oh , and I actually went out of my way to not do any lesbian jokes , but people still accused me of questioning her sexual orientation. Is it my fault we don’t ever see her with a man?!” (229) This really disappointed me.
“And what I really like about this idea is that it isn’t the least bit sexist or chauvinistic…” (230).
It is unpleasantly surprising that Aaron McGruder is so ignorant.
March 9, 2008
The final year of strips collected, followed by various and sundry interviews, articles, tv appearance transcripts, etc. with Aaron McGruder, then a selection of "controversial" strips that were pulled from some newspapers, along with his commentary on them, and finally, a few "Fox Trot" strips reacting to his announcement of hiatus.
April 29, 2014
I love this novel. I've read it twice & wrote about it in a college setting, which wasn't easy - trust me, but the fact that I was willing to put my college education on the line to broaden my professor's thoughts on literature should be enough to persuade you to pick up this graphic novel & learn something!
March 25, 2016
Boondocks All the Rage is unique as it is both a collection of Boondocks comics and also provides a documentative history of the comic's publication. This contains the last of the strip's running but it is easily accessible, predicting elements that would go on to appear on the television show. Interestingly enough the comic reads as if it were written for a modern audience.
June 4, 2013
Typical Boondocks fare here. I really miss this strip. The funny thing is that political cartoons in most magazines/newspapers were much worse. Unfortunately, media sources decided to make this syndicated comicstrip the posterchild of what's wrong with the world. Sad...
But overall a great book!
But overall a great book!
December 9, 2015
Cartoons were hit or miss, sometimes funny, often deep, sometimes I didn't understand the references. Disliked part II of the book, which was basically a bunch of articles about the author saying the same thing (you have a unique voice, you piss people off, etc).
November 27, 2007
Oh, God. I love Mcgruder's stuff so very, very much. I just... Grandad! Hee!
January 21, 2008
Must read for any Boondocks/Aaron McGruder fan. Loved seeing the strips that were edited or never run and reading his take on them.
February 8, 2008
Funny!
June 17, 2008
One of the best contemporary comic strips! I just wish I had caught onto them earlier while they were still being syndicated.
Read
July 3, 2015i'm glad there's the boondocks.
there should be more comics like this.
there should be more comics like this.
October 12, 2009
too many interviews.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews