With the ink still wet on the announcement that Aaron McGruder is taking a six month break from his “Boondocks” feature, syndicates and newspapers are scrambling to fill the void. Here’s a run down of the ripple effect:
Washingon Post Writers Group is moving the launch of a new feature called “Watch Your Head” up to begin on the first day of the Boondock sabatical.
“Watch Your Head” is set at the predominately black Oliver Otis University, and focuses on six student characters (mostly African American but one a white Canadian).
WPWG also states that they will push Darrin Bell’s Candorville as a permanant replacement.
The LA Times will replace Boondocks with “The Flying McCoys.”
The Chicago Tribune is still undecided.
The Indianapolis Star says they’ll pick Boondocks back up “if” Aaron comes back, but are still undecided as to what feature will run as a temporary substitute.
The Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN) will use these six months to “test a couple new strips and let readers weigh in on which ones they like.”
The News & Observer has decided to run with the reruns.
The Hartford Courant, “isn’t sure yet how the paper will replace ‘Boondocks’ during its 6-month hiatus.”
UPDATE: Buffalo News “plans to rerun the first six months of the strip until McGruder returns in October.”