My Friend Dahmer

This is not a complex book, but this is a fairly simple story, in the end: Jeffry Dahmer was once a messed up kid with a crappy family life. The central tenet of this story is that, with a little help from any of the adults around him, what Dahmer became may never have come to pass.

I suspect an even deeper, complex sort of story could be told by Backderf–perhaps he will do some fiction that delves into these depths in more layered ways? I don't think Dahmer's story needed that layering, but it would be interesting to better understand how some kids who live troubled childhoods end up being serial killers, while some “just” end up harming themselves for the rest of their lives, for instance.

The art is great. The story is straightforward. It's an oddly fun read.

4.5 stars

Wow. Just wow. My Friend Dahmer is the story of a Derf Backdorf schoolmate to the infamous serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. It covers the 4 years of high school and the summer after graduation.

My Friend Dahmer is approx 1/2 Dahmer and 1/2 Backdorf. It is brilliantly crafted. Backderf compares his normal teen actions to Dahmer's bizarre actions. While Backderf drinks for fun, Dahmer drinks to forget. Where Backderf is repulsed by roadkill, Dahmer is fascinated with it and takes them home. It's a brilliant use of juxtaposition. In fact, it's what makes this book even more disturbing.

How much of Dahmer's childhood led to his actions? Would he have turned out differently if he had a solid friend? What if he had a better home life? What if he was born in another time, when homosexuality was accepted? Would he have still done what he done?

The most frightening aspect to me was comparing it to my own school days. Could any of the “strange” kids from my class turn out like Dahmer? Maybe not to that extreme, but could they become serial killers? Were some potential serial killers saved by friends they made at school? Is Jeffrey Dahmer a one time occurrence, or are there hundreds of Dahmers out there just waiting.

I thought I'd hate the artwork, but it feels... right, I guess? I don't know, it fits. As for the story, well, it's Jeffrey Dahmer (fun fact: I didn't know it was Jeffrey Dahmer until today... I thought this was a fiction story... maybe based on something... I'm... sigh), but in a different, bizarre, sad light. Sad is certainly the keyword here. Could Dahmer have been saved? Could serial killer Jeff Dahmer have had a different life under other circumstances? Maybe. We'll never know.

This is... disturbing.

Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer (May 21, 1960 – November 28, 1994) was an American serial killer and sex offender. Dahmer murdered 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991, with the majority of the murders occurring between 1987 and 1991. His murders involved rape, dismemberment, necrophilia and cannibalism. On November 28, 1994, he was beaten to death by an inmate at the Columbia Correctional Institution, where he had been incarcerated.

John Backderf zat op school met Dahmer. Deze My Friend Dahmer is de 28-bladzijden-eerste-versie van een verhaal waar hij uiteindelijk een langer boek van gemaakt heeft.

Kort, ruw, een banaal verhaal, en geen pagina waar je niet denkt there but for the grace of God...

Spooky. Ik zoek eens naar de uitgebreide versie.

First of all, I know what you're wondering: no, this dude's parents did not name him “Derf Backderf,” that is a nickname he has chosen to use professionally. His given first name is John. I know: whew.

OK. Anyway. I checked this out 2 months ago because it was on some list of best graphic novels for teens and I was like, REALLY? But then it sat in my bag forever because I was really reluctant to read it, because I hate gross things. And then I opened it and the first page is about young Jeffrey Dahmer finding a roadkill cat. And then I closed it for awhile.

Anyway I finally sucked it up and read it and it's not that gross! Like not graphically gross anyway. The first few pages are probably the physically grossest and after that it's more psychologically gross. It's definitely a compelling read. I guess it's okay for teens. It really is JUST about Dahmer's teen years and cuts off when they graduate high school, so no murder/cannibalism/etc.

I kind of wonder about the teen appeal? Do today's teens even know who Dahmer is? IDK. But as a story about a high school misfit, it's pretty solid, especially since the reader knows the story's true tragic ending.

Oh and the art was fine, cartoony and kinda R Crumb-y. I also appreciated the footnotes, since it's been awhile since I read anything about Jeffrey Dahmer.

This is a very well researched memoir by someone trying to make sense of how his friend from high school became a serial killer. It provides a level of insight that other true crime novels often lack, especially considering the amount of misinformation this particular case has floating around out there.

I think Backderf could've been as critical of his own behavior, and that of the “Dahmer Fan Club,” as he was of all the adults in Dahmer's past. At times it felt more like Backderf was trying to show his distance from Dahmer but ended up showing how he and his friends behaved cruelly and treated Dahmer like an object. This likely had as much of an impact on him as many other anecdotes that were included from other parts of Dahmer's life, and it would've been very interesting to see Backderf acknowledge it and dissect the effects of damaging teenage relationships.

I could've done without Backderf's monologue about Dahmer's mother in the back of the book. It came across very asshole-y and felt unnecessary. Perhaps he was trying to justify portraying her a specific way that she adamantly disagreed with, but it didn't sit well with me.

The art is fantastic, the pacing is perfect, and the chosen anecdotes paint a vivid picture of a tortured teen heading down a dangerous and depraved path.