When I picked up "My Friend Dahmer" I was expecting to find a
serial killer comic with a touch of cannibalism. Being a mild fan of "The
Walking Dead" I decided to give it an honest try. What I found was in my
opinion considerably more interesting, and (believe it or not) contains no
actual cannibalism.
Derf Backderf's
"My Friend Dahmer" is the true and in some cases first hand account
of Derf's teenage friend Jeffery Dahmer. Although the story is centered on
Dahmer, it reveals a large part of Derf's own upbringing and coming of age. I
also found that the book doubles as a not so kind portrait of education and
suburbia in the late 70's. The art (also by Backderf) provides an interesting
contrast with the content, using a simplistic and exaggerated format for a very
real and chilling tale. It shows Dahmer as the character he was in high school,
rather than the killer he was later (and most famously) known as.
The story starts with
the prologue, a short snippet from Dahmer's childhood showing a lonely child with
a curiosity for animals. Alright, it showed a weird kid dissolving road kill in
acid. The kind of stuff you'd expect from a serial killer story. It then takes
a jump forward into his high school career, where he initially was bullied and
socially outcast. We also get to see Dahmer's home life in the midst of a loud
and messy divorce, not to mention his mother's psychiatric spasmodic episodes.
It almost makes you feel sorry for Jeffery Dahmer, doesn't it?
The story takes a turn
in Dahmer's Sophomore year, when he finds a social niche. He starts to put on a
routine where he has fake spasms and makes a host of weird noises. This starts
him up with Derf's clique, and also starts a very strange (but relatively
normal) educational career. His strange sayings and episodes become so locally
famous that they are referred to as "Dahmerisms" and even featured on
a student government poster. The bizarre events surrounding his time in school
include yearbook photobombing, and even a private tour of Vice President Walter
Mondale's office.
Sadly, as I am sure
most of you know, the story doesn't have a happy ending. In this book you also
get a unique and inside look at Dahmer's budding demons. The story chronicles
his struggle with teenage alcoholism, his coping with a deteriorating home,
violent and disturbed urges, and trying to stifle his own twisted sexuality. It
ends where the story we are more familiar with begins.
I found this comic to
be one of the most interesting that I have read, even if you don't find it the most
entertaining. It answers a lot of questions you didn't know you had about one
of the twentieth century's most notorious killers. With a mix of reality and
dark humour, it's worth making room on your shelf.
By: Logan Thomas Dillon