My Friend Dahmer

Last updated
My Friend Dahmer
MyFriendDahmer-GN.jpg
The cover of My Friend Dahmer. Artwork by Derf.
Creator Derf Backderf
Date2012
Page count224 pages
Publisher Abrams ComicArts
ISBN 978-1419702174
Chronology
Preceded byPunk Rock & Trailer Parks
Followed byTrashed

My Friend Dahmer is a 2012 graphic novel and memoir by artist John "Derf" Backderf about his teenage friendship with Jeffrey Dahmer, who later became a serial killer. The book evolved from a 24-page, self-published version by Backderf in 2002.

Contents

Background

Shortly after Backderf learned about Dahmer's crimes, he met two of his friends, Mike Kukral and Neil, all of whom had befriended Dahmer in school. [1] With the new information regarding Dahmer's fate, many of his odd behaviors in adolescence seemed to make sense. [1] [2] Backderf recorded some of the stories shared in his sketchbook, which would serve as the beginning of My Friend Dahmer. [3] [4] [5] He started focusing on writing the stories in 1994 following Dahmer's death. [3] [5]

Because Backderf worked at Akron Beacon Journal, [3] he also had access to much information about Dahmer's crimes before they became public knowledge, which, combined with his personal history with Dahmer, put him in a perfect situation to shed light on him. [1]

When Backderf initially began creating the comics, he thought of them as a series of mini-comics or as an anthology told from his own perspective. [1] Later, he returned to their high school for a more in-depth, journalistic approach wherein he collected information via interviews and FBI files. [1]

In 1997, My Friend Dahmer was first released in the comic anthology Zero Zero #18 (Fantagraphics, July 1997). [6] Backderf, wanting to write a full-length work, began writing publication proposals using a single chapter; publishers often shied away from the subject matter, fearing the gore associated with Dahmer. [1] Therefore, in 2002, he self-published the work as a 24-page comic. [6] [7]

After twenty years of background research, Backderf drafted the full manuscript in two weeks, and publishers became interested in the story. [1] The final, full-length book was published by Abrams Books in 2012.

Plot

The novel depicts the author's teenage friendship with Jeffrey Dahmer, who later became an infamous serial killer, during his time at Eastview Junior High and Revere High School. The story follows Dahmer from age 12 up to, but not including, his first murder, two weeks after high school graduation.

Derf, while not excusing or forgiving Dahmer's crimes, presents an empathetic portrait of Dahmer as a lonely young man tormented by inner demons, ridiculed by bullies at school, and neglected by the adults in his life. [8] The graphic novel recalls Dahmer's isolation, his binge drinking, his bizarre behavior to get attention, and his disturbing fascination with roadkill. [7] Backderf and his friends encouraged Dahmer to act out, including faking epileptic seizures in school and the mall and pretending to have cerebral palsy. [9]

Adaptations

The original self-published comic book was adapted and staged as a one-act play by the NYU Theater Department.

In 2017, the novel was adapted into a film directed by Marc Meyers and starring Ross Lynch as Jeffrey Dahmer. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an 86% rating based on 88 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "My Friend Dahmer opens a window into the making of a serial killer whose conclusions are as empathetic as they are deeply troubling." [10] Metacritic, another review aggregator, assigned the film a weighted average score of 68 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [11]

Reception

Reviews

My Friend Dahmer was generally well received by critics, including starred reviews from Kirkus Reviews , [12] Publishers Weekly . [13] Kirkus called the book "[a]n exemplary demonstration of the transformative possibilities of graphic narrative." [12] Publishers Weekly called the writing "impeccably honest" and the story "quietly horrifying". [13]

Multiple reviewers also highlighted the book's art style. Booklist noted, "The blunt, ungainly drawings, with their robotically stiff figures, effectively convey the drab suburban milieu." [14] Time's Lev Grossman pointed out that "[t]he psychedelic wavy highlights Backderf draws on glass are like Proust's madeleine to anybody who was alive in the 1970’s, and the way Backderf draws people owes a lot to Mad magazine's Don Martin, ... [whose] characters all have those long, angular heads and exaggeratedly articulated joints." [7]

Library Journal called the book "a thoughtfully terrifying look at unmonitored tendencies and careless interactions combining to forge a serial murderer" and said it "is a real butt-kicker for educators and youth counselors as well as peers of other potential Dahmers." [15]

Awards and honors

In 2012, Publishers Weekly named My Friend Dahmer in their list of the year's top five comics; [16] Lev Grossman, book critic for Time, named it one of his top five nonfiction books of the year; [7] and The A.V. Club named it the year's best nonfiction book. [17]

Awards for My Friend Dahmer
YearAwardResultRef.
2012 Ignatz Award for Outstanding Graphic NovelNominee [18]
2012 Reuben Award Nominee
2013 American Library Association's (ALA) Great Graphic Novels for TeensTop 10 [19] [20]
2013 Alex Awards Winner [21] [22]
2013ALA's Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers Top 10 [23] [24]
2015ALA's Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults Top 10 [25]
2013 Harvey Awards for Best Graphic Album - OriginalNominee [26] [27]
2014 Angoulême International Comics Festival's Revelation AwardWinner [28]

Controversy

In 2021, My Friend Dahmer was one of 22 books removed from libraries in Texas's Leander Independent School District [29] "as part of an initiative to prohibit "inappropriate" books in their learning institutions." [30] The book was later returned to shelves with the requirement that readers receive counseling regarding its contents. [31] [30] When asked why he believed the book was banned, Backderf reiterated that the book does not include violence, sex, or profanity. [30] As such, he believes, "People are objecting to what he became, ... not what I depict in my book." [30] Backderf also disagrees with the requirement that students should receive counseling after reading the book. [30]

The following year, the book was listed among 52 books banned by the Alpine School District following the implementation of Utah law H.B. 374, "Sensitive Materials In Schools". [32]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeffrey Dahmer</span> American serial killer (1960–1994)

Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer, also known as the Milwaukee Cannibal or the Milwaukee Monster, was an American serial killer and sex offender who killed and dismembered seventeen males between 1978 and 1991. Many of his later murders involved necrophilia, cannibalism, and the permanent preservation of body parts—typically all or part of the skeleton.

An autobiographical comic is an autobiography in the form of comic books or comic strips. The form first became popular in the underground comix movement and has since become more widespread. It is currently most popular in Canadian, American and French comics; all artists listed below are from the U.S. unless otherwise specified.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derf Backderf</span> American cartoonist

John Backderf, also known as Derf or Derf Backderf, is an American cartoonist. He is most famous for his graphic novels, especially My Friend Dahmer, the international bestseller which won an Angoulême Prize, and earlier for his comic strip The City, which appeared in a number of alternative newspapers from 1990 to 2014. In 2006 Derf won the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for cartooning. Backderf has been based in Cleveland, Ohio, for much of his career.

Svetlana Chmakova is a Russian-Canadian comic book artist. She is best known for Dramacon, an original English-language (OEL) manga spanning three volumes and published in North America by Tokyopop. Her other original work includes Nightschool and Awkward for Yen Press. She has been nominated for an Eisner Award twice. Previously, she created The Adventures of CG for CosmoGIRL! magazine and the webcomic Chasing Rainbows for Girlamatic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeffrey Brown (cartoonist)</span> American cartoonist

Jeffrey Brown is an American cartoonist born in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lauren Myracle</span> American young adult novelist

Lauren Myracle is an American writer of young adult fiction. She has written many novels, including the three best-selling "IM" books, ttyl, ttfn and l8r, g8r. Her book Thirteen Plus One was released May 4, 2010.

<i>Zero Zero</i> (comics) Alternative comics anthology series

Zero Zero was an alternative comics anthology published by Fantagraphics Books from 1995 to 2000. It was printed in a typical 6½″ × 9¾″ comic book format. Issues ranged between 40 and 64 pages in length, printed mostly in black-and-white with a color cover but occasionally including sections printed in one or two colors, notably a series of stories by Al Columbia. Its release schedule fluctuated between bimonthly and quarterly intervals over the course of its run.

<i>Skim</i> (comics) Canadian graphic novel written by Mariko Tamaki

Skim is a Canadian graphic novel written by Mariko Tamaki and drawn by Jillian Tamaki. Set in 1993, in a Toronto Catholic girls high school, it is about an outsider girl called Skim.

Aperture Entertainment is a management/production company founded by Adam Goldworm in March 2009.

<i>Building Stories</i> 2012 graphic novel by American cartoonist Chris Ware

Building Stories is a 2012 graphic novel by American cartoonist Chris Ware. The unconventional work is made up of fourteen printed works—cloth-bound books, newspapers, broadsheets and flip books—packaged in a boxed set. The work took a decade to complete, and was published by Pantheon Books. The intricate, multilayered stories pivot around an unnamed female protagonist with a missing lower leg. It mainly focuses on her time in a three-story brownstone apartment building in Chicago, but also follows her later in her life as a mother. The parts of the work can be read in any order.

Hart D. Fisher is an American horror crime author, comic book writer and publisher best known for creating a comic book about Jeffrey Dahmer and for founding Boneyard Press.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Aydin</span> American comics writer (born 1983)

Andrew Aydin is an American comics writer, known as the Digital Director & Policy Advisor to Georgia congressman John Lewis, and co-author, with Lewis, of March, Lewis' #1 New York Times bestselling autobiographical graphic novel trilogy.

<i>My Friend Dahmer</i> (film) 2017 film

My Friend Dahmer is a 2017 American biographical psychological drama film written and directed by Marc Meyers about American serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. The film is based on the 2012 graphic novel of the same name by cartoonist John "Derf" Backderf, who had been friends with Dahmer in high school in the 1970s, until the time Dahmer began his killing spree in 1978. The film stars Ross Lynch as Dahmer, Alex Wolff as Derf, Dallas Roberts as Jeffrey's father, and Anne Heche as Jeffrey's mother.

Sara Varon is an American graphic novelist, writer, and illustrator best known for her work in children's literature. She is the author of the comic Robot Dreams which was later adapted into an animated film of the same name directed by Pablo Berger.

<i>Awkward</i> (graphic novel) 2015 graphic novel by Svetlana Chmakova

Awkward is a 2015 children's graphic novel written by Svetlana Chmakova. The book tells the story of Penelope "Peppi" Torres, a new student at Berrybrook Middle School, whose first encounter with a boy from the science club leads to much awkwardness between them, and their sparring clubs.

Marc Meyers is an American feature film director and screenwriter. He is best known for his fourth feature film My Friend Dahmer and the previous How He Fell in Love.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kasia Babis</span> Polish author and cartoonist (born 1992)

Katarzyna "Kasia" Monika Babis is a Polish author of comic books, cartoonist, illustrator, painter, author of children's books, YouTuber and political activist.

<i>Kiss Number 8</i> Graphic novel by Colleen A. F. Venable

Kiss Number 8 is a 2019 graphic novel written by Colleen A. F. Venable, illustrated by Ellen T. Crenshaw, and published by First Second Books. In 2019, the novel was longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature. The following year, it was a finalist for an Eisner Award and Prism Award.

The American Library Association's Great Graphic Novels for Teens, established in 2007, is an annual list presented by Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) division of graphic novels and illustrated nonfiction geared toward individuals ages 12–18.

<i>A Fathers Story</i> 1994 book by Lionel Dahmer

A Father's Story is a memoir written by Lionel Dahmer, father of American serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. The book was published in 1994 by William Morrow and Company.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Arrant, Chris (May 8, 2012). "Derf Opens Up About His High School Friend Jeffrey Dahmer in New Graphic Novel". Publishers Weekly . Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  2. Applebaum, Stephen (May 31, 2018). "'There was always a darkness about him': My Friend Dahmer author John Backderf on growing up with a serial killer". The Independent . Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 Warner, Stuart (November 6, 2017). "Jeffrey Dahmer's Friend Derf: A Q&A About His Classmate the Serial Killer". Phoenix New Times . Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  4. Barnett, David (2017-11-12). "In New Film, 'My Friend Dahmer' Author Portrays Serial Killer As Sympathetic Outcast". NPR . Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  5. 1 2 Riesman, Abraham (20 April 2017). "My Friend Dahmer Author on the Boy Behind the Killer and the Movie Adaptation". Vulture. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  6. 1 2 Soderberg, Brandon (2012-04-30). "My Friend Dahmer". The Comics Journal. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Grossman, Lev (2012-03-28). "My Friend Dahmer: The Unspeakable Horror of Life in the 1970s". Time. ISSN   0040-781X . Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  8. Newman, Andy (May 1, 2002). "Drawing Jeffrey Dahmer". Boston City Paper. Boston, Massachusetts. Archived from the original on April 6, 2012. Retrieved May 21, 2017.
  9. "Young Jeffrey Dahmer". Archived from the original on October 24, 2008. Retrieved August 27, 2011., p. 2
  10. "My Friend Dahmer (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved September 19, 2018.
  11. "My Friend Dahmer Reviews". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  12. 1 2 "My Friend Dahmer". Kirkus Reviews. 2011-12-18. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  13. 1 2 "My Friend Dahmer by Derf, Derf Backderf". Publishers Weekly. 2012-01-02. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  14. Flagg, Gordon (2012-03-15). "My Friend Dahmer". Booklist. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  15. Rednour, Douglas (2018-09-01). "My Friend Dahmer". Library Journal. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  16. "Best Books of 2012". Publishers Weekly . Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  17. Murray, Noel (2012-12-31). "The best graphic novels and art comics of 2012". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  18. "Ignatz Awards". Small Press Expo. 2012-10-08. Archived from the original on 2012-10-08. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  19. "My Friend Dahmer | Awards & Grants". www.ala.org. 2013-03-04. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  20. JFINNEKE (2013-01-30). "Great Graphic Novels Top Ten 2013". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  21. Communications and Marketing Office (2013-01-28). "YALSA announces 2013 Alex Awards". News and Press Center. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  22. JFINNEKE (2014-01-29). "Alex Awards 2013". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  23. "My Friend Dahmer | Awards & Grants". www.ala.org. 2013-02-06. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  24. JFINNEKE (2013-01-31). "2013 Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  25. O’Connor, Nichole (2015-01-27). "YALSA names 2015 Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults". News and Press Center. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  26. "2013 Harvey Awards". Harvey Awards. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  27. Cavna, Michael (July 15, 2013). "2013 HARVEY AWARD NOMS: Chris Ware, 'Saga' among top nominees". The Washington Post . Washington DC: Nash Holdings LLC. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  28. Connors, Joanna (February 4, 2014). "Bill Watterson and Derf Backderf win major awards in France at the biggest comic-con in the world, Angouleme Comics Festival". The Cleveland Plain Dealer . Cleveland, Ohio: Advance Publications . Retrieved October 19, 2018 via cleveland.com.
  29. Yorio, Kara. "As Banned Books Week Approaches, the Fight Against Censorship Intensifies". School Library Journal. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  30. 1 2 3 4 5 Bickham, D. R. (2021-12-09). "My Friend Dahmer's Derf Backderf Delves Into Why His Book Was Banned". CBR. Retrieved 2022-08-05.
  31. Girtman, Taylor (2021-03-15). "Leander ISD review underway on 'inappropriate literature' in book clubs". impact. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
  32. "Ban on 52 Books in Largest Utah School District is a Worrisome Escalation of Censorship". PEN America. 2022-08-01. Retrieved 2022-08-05.