My Friend Dahmer

My Friend Dahmer is a 2012 graphic novel memoir by John "Derf" Backderf, detailing his friendship and high school life with Jeffrey Dahmer before the latter became a reviled serial rapist and killer.

Plot
We know the crimes of Jeffrey Dahmer, but few know his life before. John Backderf became friends with Dahmer in high school during the seventies, but didn't realize the evolving evil he was becoming witness to. Now, long after the crimes and the murder of Dahmer himself, Backderf takes us back in time with new information, showing the downward spiral of Jeffrey Dahmer that eventually lead to his first murder.

Why It Rocks

 * 1) A very interesting art style reminiscent of 70s cartoons (since that's when the series takes place) with a lot of detail in it's panels that makes it intriguing enough to look at and provides an interesting clashing towards the intense subject matter.
 * 2) The series is a much more insightful and sophisticated examination of Jeffrey Dahmer's life without ever showing any of his infamous murders, it shows how he struggled both in school and at home as well as his depraved fantasies.
 * 3) On that note, though the series empathizes with Dahmer, it doesn't justify or excuse his actions in any way, explicitly stating that he's an evil man who did many evil things, but also showing how a bit of professional help and true friendship may have prevented all of that.
 * 4) The series isn't overly violent (due to the aforementioned fact that it doesn't show his murders), but also isn't afraid to dive into the darker parts of Dahmer's psychology, like showing his obsession with finding roadkill and dissolving it in acid to examine the bones, a habit that greatly disturbs others.
 * 5) It takes many parts of Dahmer's descent into evil from interviews from Dahmer himself for added authenticity, taking some events beat for beat like his alcoholism during school and his attempted assault on a jogger going by his house.
 * 6) It also has a realistic and somewhat regretful view of the 70s, showing how homosexuality was often closeted due to many people's beliefs and many schools didn't take drugs on school too seriously, allowing many to get away with it. This also baits the question of whether or not Dahmer would've become a murderer if he was born in a different generation and went to a modern day school.
 * 7) On the note of Dahmer's struggles in school and home, they're nothing cliche as he didn't face brutal bullying or constant abuse, but rather smaller things like outcasting and some bullying at school, negligence from his parents, and having to listen to their constant disputes. Not to mention that his father was a chemist which gave him access to the tools in his disturbing hobbies.
 * 8) A lot of very complex and realistic themes explored throughout to make Dahmer's descent into evil all the more heartbreaking, like a desire for acceptance, bottling up emotions (in Dahmer's case, literally in alcohol) and how one's problems can fester without help. It also shows Dahmer's friendship with Backderf in a more realistic way with how Backderf refers to him as a "mascot" rather than a "pal" at first and how he becomes too disturbed by his behavior to become real friends with him.
 * 9) Some humorous moments throughout to offer a bit of levity, but they don't take center stage as the comic is meant to be disturbing.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) If you know the story of Jeffrey Dahmer, this comic will disturb you deeply and may prove to be too much for others.
 * 2) A couple of disturbing scenes of animal abuse, like when Dahmer throws a jar of a dissolving raccoon on the ground in front of others and butchers a fish with a pocket knife in graphic detail

Reception
Time Magazine ranked the book in their top five non-fiction books of 2012

The series was nominated for the Ignatz Award for Outstanding Graphic Novel.

Trivia
Backderf would often draw Dahmer in shadow to reflect the darkness inside of him.