Migraine Boy: Fair-Weather Friends

by Greg Fiering, Michael Stipe (Introduction)

Meet America's newest little hero, Migraine Boy--Charlie Brown's bi-polar second cousin, an existentially aware Richie Rich. Spawned in the pages of alternative 'zines and giveaway newspapers, Migraine Boy got his big break when R.E.M. chose cartoonist Fiering to do the art for the cover of Monster. Since then, the strip has started to gain nationwide recognition and now appears in Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, and the Village Voice, among others.

Genres: Comics, Humor

64 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1996

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took me a couple comic strips to really "get" the deadpan non-jokes of Migraine Boy, but now I think he's amazing. Most of the time after I've finished a book, even if I thought it was a "five star" book, I take it to a used book store or give it to someone I think would like it. I have a constantly rotating set of books on my shelf, with only three or four permanent books remaining long after I finished reading them. For some inexplicable reason, "Migraine Boy" is one of those keepers. I've had it ever since high school, and I still laugh every time I pick it up.

They all consist of Migraine Boy talking to...umm...the other character, whatever his name is. Migraine Boy is curmudgeonly and unhappy because of his constant migraines. His friend is friendly, obesessively so, maybe in love with Migraine Boy. Sometimes, his friend dies in the comic strips. That's about as much as you need to know about the setup.

You can see a bajillion Migraine Boy comic strips just by googling it. But, in case you don't want to go to all that effort, here's a randomly selected but fairly representative strip:

First panel: The friend has a sling on his arm. He says, "Ow, I HURT my ARM, Migraine Boy!"

Second panel: Migraine Boy shouts, "It probably happened because you're an IDIOT!"

Third panel: The friend looks down. Migraine Boy grimmaces.

Fourth panel: Migraine Boy says, "I'm Sorry."

Fifth panel: Migraine Boy says, "I just had to add INSULT to INJURY."

Haha! Pretty hilarious, right? Right?

[Natasha Helena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Qual foi a minha surpresa quando na última promoção de quadrinhos da Amazon vi na minha frente Garoto Enxaqueca. O preço estava bom, portanto adquiri logo. As lembranças de assistir MTV o dia inteiro durante os anos 90 vieram imediatamente a minha cabeça. Lembro que a minha irmã gostava muito das vinhetas. As tirinhas em que basearam as vinhetas estão todas no livro que li com a voz do ator Fabio Lucindo, dublador do Garoto Enxaqueca, na cabeça. Ri bastante com todo o mal humor reunido nessa HQ. É muito nostálgico, gente! Pra quem viveu essa época vale muito a pena.

[Ceci Perez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this so much. Took me back a couple of decades when this comic was video shorts on MTV. Do yourself a favor and check out I Don’t Love You, another Migraine Boy book. It has my favorite all time in there !Viva Greg Fiering!

[Sundry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this odd little collection of comic strips at my friend Braveheart’s house. Funny sometimes, just darned strange sometimes.

[Mon · Rating 4 out of 5]

"All this talk about Gandhi has given me a marvelous idea, Migraine Boy. I'm going to go on a hunger strike until you tell me you love me."