Aaron McGruder Announces a Six-Month Sabbatical From His 'Boondocks' Comic

By: E&P Staff "The Boondocks" cartoonist Aaron McGruder is taking a six-month leave of absence from his Universal Press Syndicate comic.

McGruder's last daily strips will run the week of March 20 and his last Sunday comic on March 26. Until he resumes the strip in October, clients can publish "Boondocks" reruns if they want.

In a letter to his clients, McGruder wrote: "Every well needs occasional refreshing and I hope that this fall you will agree that the time away from the demands of deadlines has served the strip, your readers, and me. To be on your comic pages for the past seven years has been a privilege. I thank you for that and for your patience as I explored our world through the eyes of Huey, Riley, and their grandfather."

Universal syndicates "The Boondocks" -- known for its political and social commentary -- to more than 300 newspapers and online clients.

McGruder, whose comic entered syndication in 1999, has spent a lot of time of late on "The Boondocks" TV show that runs on the Cartoon Network.

McGruder, who is declining interviews about his sabbatical, is not the first Universal cartoonist to take a leave of absence. Others have included "Doonesbury" creator Garry Trudeau and now-retired "Calvin and Hobbes" creator Bill Watterson.