Aaron McGruder skyrocketed to fame a few years back then the Boondocks became a TV show. I have still not seen it, but have been continually amazed the the Boondocks comic strip. McGruder's anthologies of the strip, most notably Right To Be Hostile, feature some of the most cutting social commentary in recent memory. In a self-imposed commentary on how left-wing media was more or less censored in the days directly following 9/11, McGruder replaced the Boondocks characters with a flag and ribbon, who later showed up in a dark basement after the patriotic furor died down.
McGruder has also been remarkably vocal about his views outside of the strip. He was a proud supporter of Ralph Nader in 2000, supporting him even after the Florida recounts. He later claims to have called Condoleeza Rice a mass murderer to her face.
In addition to Boondocks, McGruder also wrote a graphic novel titled Birth of a Nation. I have not read it, but it obviously alludes to D.W. Griffith's silent history of the Ku Klux Klan in its title and, knowing McGruder, the work inside probably interesting comments on the film as well.
McGruder is still an up-and-coming young star, and it will be interesting to see what he does. It may turn out that McGruder could fill the void Spike Lee has left as he has turned to more personal projects in the last few years and away from film which make direct social commentary. I feel Lee's films are now more mature and nuanced, but someone has to keep hollywood in check with some hard-hitting criticism.
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