'Boondocks' taking a hiatus

Courtesy of the Chicago Tribune:

Apparently, Aaron McGruder needs a break.

The creator of the controversial "The Boondocks" comic strip—which has skewered everything from the George Bush administration to R Kelly's legal troubles to, recently, Vice President Dick Cheney's hunting accident—is taking six months off.

Universal Press Syndicate confirmed today that McGruder will go on hiatus beginning March 27, resuming the strip, which appears in 350 newspapers including the Chicago Tribune, in October.

It was unclear whether McGruder would concentrate on his Cartoon Network version of the comic strip during the break. McGruder couldn't be reached for comment and was preparing to issue a statement through Universal Press Syndicate, which is offering reprints of past cartoons.

"The Chicago Tribune will decide at a later date whether to run the replacement 'Boondocks' strips or try out a new strip until October," said Geoff Brown, the Tribune's associate managing editor for Features. Brown declined to comment on which alternate strips are under consideration.

McGruder's syndicated "Boondocks" strips began appearing in newspapers in April of 1999. In October, the "Boondocks" series premiered on the Cartoon Network.