My Friend Dahmer: A Graphic Novel

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.