I have a curious connection to this book and its author, besides the fact that we're both from the greater Cleveland area -- and that connection, oddly, extends to Jeffrey Dahmer himself. All three of us were born within the same year, growing up in Northeast Ohio in the 1960's and 70's, and all three of us had fathers who were research chemists. Our houses were all pretty much the same, and were no more than 25 miles apart. And yet one of us became a college professor, one a comics artist and graphic novelist, and one
the most notorious serial killer of the twentieth century. I've met Derf a few times, most recently when he gave a talk at RISD, and I've been a fan of his work since coming across his strip, "The City," which used to run in the
Providence Phoenix. The original "My Friend Dahmer" -- a 24-page "floppy" that Backderf put out in 2002 on his own dime, was a masterpiece (and is now a
collector's item), but its author was not satisfied. He threw his energies into a muli-year revision and expansion, drawing upon every available source, including interviews, press reports, and material from Dahmer's time in prison. The result is this expanded and definitive
My Friend Dahmer.
High school in suburban Ohio in the 1970's was its own strange territory. Looking back on it, the wonder seems that those of us who got through it got through it at all. A telling point is depicted by Derf, when thanks to a phone call from a friend, he hears of Dahmer's arrest and sudden rise to infamy. The friend asks him to "guess who" it was, and Derf's first guess
isn't Dahmer! It was a time of counter-cultural resistance, but yet still a time of compliant surface normalcy. Everyone in the classroom appeared more or less normal, but who knew what the kids did when school was out? Smoking joints behind the bus garage, collecting roadkill in jars, coming to class drunk, making Eagle scout, trading some "lids" (an ounce of marijuana) for "soapers" (Quaaludes, a popular recreational sedative) in the school parking lot, and singing in the church choir -- any one of one's classmates might do any or all of the above. In that deeply camouflaged world, a young man named Jeffrey Dahmer could blend in, hide out, become almost
invisible as it were.
 |
| A sample of "The City" |
Derf has a very distinctive graphical style. You'll notice his disinctive shading, which often makes use of tiny black batarangs; a slight chunkiness of facial features which emblazons each head with its distinctive mugshot, and the occasional use -- particularly when Dahmer's face is in the headlights -- of extreme shadows and angles reminiscent of an Orson Welles movie. Within that same stylistic compass, buildings and rooms are realistic in form; as part of his dedication to visual accuracy, Derf employed reference photos to compose interior and exterior "shots," much as would a film director. And again, in a very cinematic manner, Derf's square boxes of commentary have the ring of a voice-over by a hardboiled detective, as in this description of Dahmer's dad: "Lionel was a chemist, hardworking and driven . He was a
nice man, but had a forceful personalty and an intimidating intellect." Think
Dragnet meets
Bladerunner.
But in an important way, My Friend Dahmer is almost a documentary -- albeit one with Derf's particular point of view, as he was a witness to some (though far from all) of the transit of Dahmer's teenage years. There are autobiographical elements, including some of the sketches that he did of Dahmer at the time. But the effect, in total, is much like a dramatic film, albeit one that's far more faithful to the premise "based on a true story" than anything Hollywood churns out. The message, as we begin our tale, seems to be that having Jeffrey Dahmer as our classmate is something that could have happened to any of us -- and that, in the tea-leaves of that time, his future was not yet possible to read.
NB: For those who might be interested, there's a film based on the graphic novel, starring Disney Channel veteran Ross Lynch as Dahmer. It's available free via Amazon Prime, or at a modest cost via a wide variety of streaming services.
After reading this graphic novel, I have seen how true stories of horror and murder can leave impressions on its audience. It’s almost like seeing someone’s life being played out in comic form, you can feel the emotions and see the faces and thoughts everyone had about Dahmer. Could this be why many fear things that are different from them? Is this why many associate weirdness with danger? Derf’s style of writing for this true story is well done from my perspective. The way Derf depicted and styled this novel made me feel more engaged in the story as if I were at the movies seeing all these things happen and unfold. The part that is truly scary for many, is that with so many behaviors being considered normal, it is hard to tell who can do what sort of acts. Basically, anyone from that time period could have done Dahmer’s acts.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading My Friend Dahmer, I enjoyed it a lot. I know we were suppose to read only half for our first response but I ended up finishing the entire novel because I was interested as to what was going to happen in the end. I liked how the story is told from a point of view from someone who actually witnessed events and was around him. To think that maybe if someone had reached out to him earlier in life maybe the same events wouldn't have happened in his future. This was definitely one of my top favorites we have read. It did not drag on at all and I was eager to get to the ending. Even though Derf Backderf had illustrated with it only a black and white color scheme , the drawings made up for the lack of color , creating visual interest. I actually wished the novel was even longer because I read through it so quickly being so into it. After reading it does make you question why these types of situations over come someone in order to make them think those type of thoughts or want to hurt anyone or other living thing. It is sad that he was always alone throughout his life even when it came to his family he had no one there for him. I wouldn't say anyone is to blame for causing Dahmer to have the thoughts he did , but still makes you question what if.
ReplyDelete- Karissa Santos
Great response, Karissa! The great mystery of why -- and the accompanying mystery of whether -- sure does keep one turning these pages, and leaves one thoughtful afterwards!
DeleteSo far the first half of the book entitled “My Friend Dahmer” by Derf Backderf I found it really interesting both the drawings and the book itself. The illustrations in the book were much more different than the other books we have read in class. It’s interesting how Derf drew these individuals with their faces being so long and body shape’s just fitting right into it. The body parts such as their lips being big, their shoes wide, and their teeth drawn so clear so everyone can notice them is really unusual and I have not read a comic book with illustrations like these. When I read the ‘Preface: The Convoluted History of My Friend Dahmer’ I was so into the fact that people’s words can really have an unpleasant affect on a person and their future. Like stated in the professors blog, all three grew up in Northeast Ohio but you can never picture someone you knew growing up or heard of becoming a serial killer. Every person has their limits and some people don’t understand that you can’t judge someone based on how they act because we don't know what their life is like at home and the problems that they are having.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading My Friend Dahmer, I can't help but feel super strange. I understand all serial killers come from something that might've triggered them into becoming who they are but John Backderf did an amazing job making me, the reader, feel pity and empathy for such a ruthless killer. It's pretty common that people experience some level of bullying throughout their lives and for Dahmer, his bullying was his entire childhood, which no one deserves. It's insane to think that not only is the author obviously telling his story from how he new Dahmer, but he is telling an actually true story. Pages 42-44 gave me goosebumps, page 42 specifically I could unfortunately relate to personally, I've been there. Page 43-44 really give me the chills, especially knowing what the "then he changed" ACTUALLY meant. The author took up the entirety of the page all in black, with small white letters just to let the reader know that this was the turning point for Dahmer. My friend Dahmer was a very chilling yet interesting read. - Marvick Felix
ReplyDeleteI believe that everyone has some sort of interest in individuals who commit disturbing crimes because we all wonder why? I believe that this graphic novel was particularly interesting because it gives insight into and perspective of the life of Dahmer. It is very easy to look at a killer after his crimes are committed, but it makes more sense to look at individuals growing up, which gives more insight to how and why they became killers. My Friend Dahmer is particularly interesting because we all knew as readers that he would become a killer, but throughout the story you feel sorry for him and you are hoping that it does not turn out the way it does. Overall looking at a figure, such as Dahmer, through the perspective of his friend and his childhood growing up gives great insight to what morphed this boy into a killer and gives amazing testimony as to how childhood and early trauma can influence and impact people. -Lisbeth Spitzschuh
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed reading My Friend Dahmer. I have always been fascinated about the psychology of serial killers and what makes them do what they do. This graphic novel did a great job capturing the story line and portraying it in a way that was easy to follow. I cant help but sympathize for Dahmer for all the bullying he endured throughout his childhood. No matter who goes through it bullying is a horrible thing. Especially knowing it is all a true story added to the creepiness of the novel. Also, the way Derf interpreted the illustrations made the novel enjoyable to read as even though they were only in black in white i feel as if that added to the ominous aura of the novel. While reading I could not help but be reminded that the author actually knew Dahmer, which made it even more intriguing to see his take on the individual. I look forward to watching the movie as I actually met the actor Ross Lynch a few years ago! One of my favorite novels we've read thus far!
ReplyDeleteThe first half of My Friend Dahmer was not what I expected. Backderf did an excellent job making you feel like you were in high school with Dahmer. It made me feel all kinds of emotions. It was sad that his home life did not help him cope with his own emotions and how he was feeling, his parents were just always fighting and dealing with their own problems.
ReplyDeleteThis story also made me think of my experiences in high school. I always had friends, which I was thankful for. High school is hard enough to get through- no one should have to go through it without friends. I remember always seeing the kids that were alone and seemed to have no friends. I always tried to make a point to sit down with kids like that, maybe have lunch. It breaks my heart because you don't know what they are going through.
There were a lot of signs, I feel, that were indicators that Dahmer was "different". I am excited to see what the rest of the story has to bring.
After reading this first half I can't help but feel strange. illustrations in this book have been very different from what we've been used to. I Really Like the way that the author tells the story through images. Pink the whole plot is super interesting cuz it's based on a serial killer that they grow up with. I find it odd but also addictive to read it. It's funny because you start to feel sorry for him in the beginning. we also see how his childhood shaped who he is and maybe why he has so many problems. It came to my attention the author actually knew the serial killer which made it even more bone-chilling. I find it super interesting tell her more about this whole story. We're all very excited to see what the rest of the story goes because it's very interesting. I really like the story so far and the illustrations used to provide a captivating experience.
ReplyDeleteI found it interesting that Backderf chose to tell the story of Jeff Dahmer's beginnings in the format of a graphic novel. To see Jeffrey Dahmer as a high school student, to learn that he was struggling with something dark even in his adolescent years was quite intriguing. We think of Dahmer as a sick and twisted man - and he was a very sick and twisted man. But we don't tend to think about who Dahmer was before he resorted to becoming a serial killer. We don't picture Dahmer as a nerdy teen with very few friends and very few good memories. To hear Backderf's perceptions about Dahmer, and to see the supporting claims and evidence Backderf cites from, it gives us insight into what made Dahmer a serial killer. To see Backderf questioning the "what-ifs" and calling out the adults in Dahmer's life gets the reader thinking about the same "what-ifs". I took three years of Forensic Science in high school, and have studied a variety of serial killers during that time. I've read biographies, watched documentaries, and read case files, but I've never read a graphic novel about a serial killer before. The presentation of information and the illustrations of the story gave off the feeling that something darker was lurking underneath Dahmer's facade. Overall, Backderf does quite a good job at making the reader feel a sense of great discomfort toward Dahmer while also instilling a sense of pity in the reader.
ReplyDeleteGreat comment, Jillian! And yes, we all wonder how it is that, among all the misfits and "troubled" teens that one encountered then -- and encounters now -- in high school, why some of them are able to benefit and grow from their experience of being outsiders, while others just sink deeper into the sands of alienation. With those who later become infamous, we're always looking for an explanation, some warning signs that someone could have seen -- Derf does an amazing job of showing us just how hard it was to see how dark the darkness inside Dahmer was, and yes -- even to make us feel a sense of pity.
DeleteI think this book was my favorite I have read so far for this course, alongside handmaid's tale. I really enjoyed the concept of how this book was written from someone who knew the mass murderer before he committed his crimes. I thought it was interesting story wise to see how people who knew him in high school portrayed and viewed him. He had a really tragic backstory home wise and that really makes you think about how many people went through this when they were growing up but to see how he manipulated that and his sexuality into his cruel desires was haunting in some scenes. I think style wise this is what I would portray as the "classic comic" form before I had taken this class, this is what I would have thought of when thinking about graphic novels. I love the fact that the author stuck to the greys, whites and blacks. To me this represented the foreshadowing of his graphicly haunting future. His dark past led to an even darker future. There was scenes in this book that made my stomach drop and to me when you feel like that reading a book it really gets its point across. The first scene that stood out to me was that of Dahmer attempting to kill the dog in the woods after he stole it from someone's yard, I had to look away from the book for a second because I actually thought he was gonna go for it but he didn't. This book really shows how his childhood shaped his future and how sick this man truly was mentally because of it. It puts up the question of what would have happened to him if his family, friends and teachers actually paid attention and cared for him. What would have happened to him if he had a more structured upbringing and someone showed compassion toward him.
ReplyDeleteBritney Raposo
Good comment, Britney. I agree that Backderf's style is very strongly influenced by comics, and you can see it on his pages. And who knows how things might have worked out differently, had anyone realized how troubled Jeff was?
DeleteThis graphic novel was very detailed in the scenes and left little to the imagination with the large amount of captions and dialogue. I think that the black and white illustrations allowed the author to portray the mysterious, unknown, and creepy ways of Dahmer. I found it interesting that Dahmer faked having tics and outbursts which made his classmates laugh. I could see how his childhood and being ignored by friends, parents, and teachers made him feel like he was invisible and that he could get away with anything. It is sad to see that maybe if someone noticed and cared a little more then they could have possibly saved his life and the lives of the people he killed. The novel made it seem like Dahmer did try to shake the terrible thoughts in his head and how he tried to control him them at the beginning (for example not killing the dog). But the reader could see that even as a child there was a very dark side of Dahmer.
ReplyDeleteBackderf gave us a front row seat of what life was like as Jeff Dahmer's classmate. It made me think that if he knew even just this much about Dahmer's life, being a short term friend and classmate, how the story would be different from the perspective of Dahmer's parents or even his younger brother. I also find it ironic how Backderf always had a strange feeling about Dahmer and how his friends joked about him being a serial killer. Makes me have a stronger belief that gut feelings are realer. How Backderf portrayed Dahmer in his teen years seems very realistic from my point of view as a reader. As someone who knew the serial killer Backderf does not tell the story with anger or hate, he tells it truthfully and sheds light on how damaging poor mental health can be. As a graphic novelist I find that him having that trait of being truthful and unbiased allows the readers to read something real, and that is exactly what My Friend Dahmer is.
ReplyDeleteNaomi Rivard
I really like how you said that Backderf gave us a front seat and also agree that he was truthful to the story, I guess he could have added things to it that really did not happen just to make fluff the story but he said exactly what he knew for sure. I really like at the end how the author gave us an "explanation" about where he got some of the information used in the book from. This goes to show he didn't just use gossip or fiction to tell the story.
DeleteYes, Derf was meticulous. The supplemental material at the end shows how throroughly he researched his sources; where -- in his original 24-page version -- he'd made an incorrect assumption, he's corrected it here.
DeleteThis graphic novel was the cherry on top. I think there could not have been a better book to conclude the reading assignments for this class. The fact that this story is based 100% on true events is amazing and something I really enjoy in movies, books, ect. This might sound bizarre to some of you, but I really enjoy stories about serial killers and this story was so well done and told in such detail that it did not disappoint even though the story itself is not about the killings. I enjoyed the story as well as the graphics which were absolutely amazing in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteThe story was so compelling and being told by one of his "close" friends made it so much more interesting. Although it was a great story to read, it was hard. It make think a coupe of times "why is nobody doing anything to help him?" but I also wonder, what if Dahmer got help from his parents or friends? would have the story been different? would have it stopped it from becoming a serial killer? I guess that's the million dollar questions.
Juliana, I'm so glad that you enjoyed this book! I know that it's disturbing to some, but I agree the human mystery of why some people become serial killers is deeply fascinating. We may never have a clear answer as to "why," but Derf's book gives us a very engaging and gripping account of what we know -- and what we may never know.
DeleteReading the first half of My Friend Dahmer was very interesting to say the least, in which I wanted to actually read more. I originally watched the movie adaptation with Ross Lynch and it was captivating. That can be said with the graphic novel version as it’s perspective was a “friend” of Dahmer’s before the mass killings. Because of this it helped me get a better understanding of Dahmer’s past life. With that, this novel was easy to follow along with its basic comic features, of black and white panels and eye catching action/dialogue. The opening of the novel was spot on as it really depicts the “foreshadowing” of Dahmer’s potential urges that he couldn’t control. Backdef was right in his introduction that you, in a way, feel pity for Dahmer but not to sympathize with him for what he did. I did feel bad for him and question maybe he would have been different if he had help. But you would never know with someone who was unsympathetic and had very dark urges. In the movie, it was interesting to see how the actor portrayed Dahmer’s fit and to see it in the novel was like a “whoa that’s scary”. I say, the first half of the novel was really good. I just wonder what reading the original graphic novel would have felt like.
ReplyDelete-Kimberly Dy
Upon reading the graphic novel, My Friend Dahmer, I was very impressed by the suspense it gave the reader and yearn to know “what is going to happen next”. The illustrations were very creative from the black, grey and white scheme (to set the tone of the graphic novel) to the faces of the people which appeared longer whereas their bodies seemed almost attached to their heads directly. Furthermore, everything was more pronounced from their lips to their teeth to their feet. From someone who has watched many serial killer movies, I had never felt such empathy for the killer themselves like I did when I was reading the novel. A lot of serial killers experienced some trauma in their upbringing, but Dahmer went through it ruthlessly in his childhood. From taking many psychology courses as a nursing major, research supports that events from one’s childhood can directly affect someone’s life choices. Mental illness is a serious issue and socioeconomic factors such as bullying and negative environments can stimulate one’s brain to act in eccentric ways – which in my opinion was the outcome for Dahmer. This novel has no comparison to others we have previously read. The reader definitely felt the pain and agony that Dahmer went through and personally made me wish I could interject to give him therapeutic comfort during his childhood years.
ReplyDelete- Lisa Agyare
This graphic novel was such a mix of fascination and sadness. What really stuck with me was a quote from Backderf in the preface, "pity him, but don't sympathize with him." As someone who is heading towards a career in psychiatry, it breaks my heart to read this and see a closeted young teen who is closed off from everyone and offered no help or guidance. It almost makes you wonder, if anyone was in this type of environment, would they turn out the same way? What really fascinated me and made feel pity for Dahmer was when he realized that the dog was a breathing organism and decided to let it go. Over the years you hear about serial killers like Jeffrey Dahmer and Tend Bundy, but I never imagined that Dahmer had tried to fight these disgusting urges. As I sit here typing this in quarantine as the pandemic continues inside longing to be able to go outside and resume human contact, I am reminded that as a teenager and throughout the rest of his life, this was Dahmer's normal. There is no redemption for the gruesome crimes and unspeakable acts Dahmer committed but, if just one person was there for him, would it have made a difference? We would like to think it wouldn't have changed anything, so no one that could've helped at that time, especially adults, would feel responsible but there is no way to ever know. It makes you wonder did he do these horrible things to feel something, to have some form of contact? We'd like to believe it was unavoidable but I believe if his parents had truly cared about their son and provided him with comfort and affection, it could've been avoided. If the guidance counselor paid more attention to his students, it could've been avoided. All anyone can do is provide comfort to children of future generations. By doing this, we can save children from becoming their worse selves, from becoming Jeffrey Dahmer.
ReplyDeleteKaitlin Patterson
I finished My Friend Dahmer within the same day because I enjoyed it so much. Once I finished the book, I decided to watch the movie on it as well. The movie was just as good as the book, if not better. The film entailed more or less exact events that took place within the novel. Its a movie I would definitely watch again, and same goes for the novel , I would enjoy reading it again as well. Both the graphic novel and movie kept you interested and wanting more throughout. The topic of the novel and movie I wouldn't say is what kept me interested because the topic of murder stories isn't what sparked the interest, its the questions regarding as to how someone gets to the point of thinking those thoughts and why they want to do those things to other people or other living things in general. I thought one of the other graphic novels we had read earlier in the semester was my favorite but My Friend Dahmer takes the lead on my favorite.
ReplyDelete-Karissa Santos
Instead of reading the book I decided on watching the movie. While watching the movie I started to feel bad about Dahmer. Everything that was going on in his house would be enough for someone to go crazy. He wanted to understand life but also to be alone, his family made that hard for him. This isn’t an excuse to become a serial killer but it is how all serial killers start out. I felt bad that he felt that he had to become the laugh of the town just to become someone. I know he had an option but in my eyes his father didn’t give him a lot. The ending was even more sad when he almost killed one of the people in on making him humiliate himself.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry for my late post, I was running into problems with getting the book. personally I like this kind of topic, it is incredible to see how this kind of mind works and we need to know that these minds that we called "sociopath" in most cases are due to a stack of bad/dark events during the early development in the life of the individuals. in the case of the book, the history of Jeffrey Dahmer is really good adapted by John Backderf, until this class I did not know the power of the comics, this comic is an adaptation of a real-life event, but the main point of the book its to explain how the society can break people. As it's explained in the book the bullying, the lack of attention, the outcast all these things can lead to a break-mind, and this why we should spread love and stop the bullying around the world. personally I'm a big fan of the show called "Dexter" which is basically in the same line of this story "how life can create monsters due to bad events"
ReplyDelete-Luis Cespedes
Hi Luis,
DeleteThat's a great comparison with Dexter, a show which went even further in inviting its audience to sympathize with a serial killer. I do think the idea of of the "dark passenger" introduced in that show is eminently applicable to Jeffrey Dahmer here -- but Dahmer did not have "rules" in the way that Dexter did.
yes, Dexter actually used to kill only bad people who meet the code
DeleteMy Friend Dahmer is easily my favorite book we have read all semester. It began with a very disturbing opening sequence (that showed Dahmer in his “hut”) that was unsettling but also grabbed my attention and made me want to flip through the pages as quickly as possible.
ReplyDeleteAs a Justice Studies major, I took a Crime and Criminology class in the Fall where we learned about the theories for the causation of all types of crimes, from petty theft to murder. Since I have a strong interest in psychology, this was my favorite aspect of the course since we were learning about how the mind works. It was very interesting for me to see the theories and statistics that I had learned in class “show up” in Backderf’s book.
As far as the illustrations go, I didn't really like them. I felt like they were too blocky and I just didn't like the style used by Backderf. However, I liked how there was relatively more non-dialogue text since it made the graphic novel feel more like a standard book.
I look foward to reading the 2nd half and then watching the film.
Nick Lancia
After reading the second part of My Friend Dahmer, I can’t help but feel all types of emotion and wonder what if?
ReplyDeleteWhat if Dahmer had friends at school would he end up not feeling so alone and being normal?
What if he had both his parents at home to love and support him?
Studies show that families who eat dinner at the table every night, the children are more successful. I Believe that is true. My parents made us eat dinner every night at the kitchen table and talk about our day. Not that my brothers, sister and I are all perfect, but we all ended up graduating with honors and are all very successful. I feel awful for him that he didn’t have that growing up. He could of got help if someone was able to notice he wasn’t right. It seems like the author started noticing Dahmer was not just different, but “scary” on page 132 when he was sitting in the back seat of the car and drank a whole 6 pack in 10 minutes. They realized that wasn’t normal, but what was a teenager supposed to do? Especially back in the day there was not as much studies and knowledge about alcohol abuse.
I wish he had love at home and with friends. It could of saved his life.
I definitely look forward to watching the film also.
(second half of “My Friend Dahmer”)
ReplyDeleteOut of all the books that we had to read this semester, this is my favorite one. I just liked how Backderf put so much detail into the book, describing how he saw Dahmer and how everyone around treated him. In pages 116-117, it surprised me how the staff did not approve of Dahmer being in the photo and actually grabbed a marker and scribbled his face out. No one liked him and everyone just considered him the “oddball” of the school and town. The way that Derf and his friends took advantage of his disorder and took him to the mall just to have a thrilling and exciting high school experience. You can also tell that at first Derf just wanted to make a joke about it to have a memorable event but then he noticed how people behaved and were scared of him. Everything that Jeff was going through and people were still taking advantage of that and all he could think was that he was actually being part of a group and had friends. It just bothers and amazes me how something like this still happens in today’s world just for publicity or attention.
The second half of My Friend Dahmer further puts into perspective just how emotionally isolated Jeffrey Dahmer was from society. Despite being surrounded by people in his life when at school, he was not truly with those people nor did he take part in their society in a way that was healthy. Derf both illustrates and writes Dahmer's descent into alcoholism and skipping school and how Dahmer's life began to end before it truly even began. Dahmer was so stuck in his mind that he refused to ask for help, and the adults around him seemingly refused to notice that Dahmer needed help. Backderf, himself, points out that he chose to ignore Dahmer's "quirks" and instead decided to use Dahmer for entertainment. The second half is truly where one begins to notice Dahmer spiraling further into darkness.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the graphic novel, “My Friend Dahmer,” and watching the movie based off the novel, I was left with more questions than I had answers to. As a reader, I was able to have a much better understanding of the Dahmer family Dynamics, Jeffrey’s lack of social skills, the bullying he endured, and his life which can best be described as an overall just meaningless. I truly started to feel bad. Many of us do not look at the person behind the serial killer, but merely a sick twisted individual who does horrible, evil, and unforgivable crimes on others. Most cannot relate with a serial killer because we lack the understanding of his/her mind; while after the reading and watching movie, I looked at it almost as if a serial killer cannot understand why they do not fit in, or why they lack the empathy to understand the majority of the population. Dahmer did anything for attention, for the feeling of normalcy, to "fit in," just like all of humanity, we as humans have an innate want/need for social relations. I noticed his lack of relation to humans, and awkward interactions, and saw that it was almost as if he would try to "mimic" others and what was accepted by society, but to his core, he was never being his "authentic" self. As a Psychology major, it is in my opinion that bullying, arguments between parents, loneliness, and other socio-cultural dynamics did not make Jeffrey Dahmer into the malicious and evil shell of a “person” he became. I believe it is definitely a combination of nature, being his biology, as well as nurture, or situations leading up to Danhmer becoming a killer. It was interesting to learn a perspective of someone other than the the ones that the majority have heard from (families of Dahmer's victims, Dahmer's family, Jeffrey Dahmer himself, and the court system reports). This story was much more raw, much more personal. The graphics were very fitting, and that's the best way I can describe my own personal feeling of the illustrations pertaining to this particular story. "If" these graphics were in a different novel, with a completely different story-line/setting, I’m not sure if I would like them as much. Many have commented to the “why’s” and the “what-ifs,” but having extensive knowledge on psychopathology I truly do not think there is anything anyone could have done to prevent Dahmer from becoming a killer. The descriptions of his “weirdness,” “shyness,” and obvious introverted personality, could have been looked at as “signs,” but in the end there are many kids today that portray these very same “signs.” These “signs,” make it extremely difficult to tell which ones are or will be the psychopaths and which aren’t, that might be why serial killers usually go unnoticed, until they are caught, if caught at all. It is a shame what he went through, but my biggest question that can probably never really be answered is what came first? Was he born a psychopath? Did these situations lead him to become a serial killer? Or was it a combination of the two? A mystery that many to this day are still trying to find the answers to. This graphic novel was my absolute favorite, and most intriguing thus far. A great way to conclude our readings in this class.
ReplyDelete-Amanda Musumeci
A thoughtful and thought-provoking post -- I imagine we will always have to wonder much the same thing about anyone who becomes a serial or mass-murderer -- but Backderf's book certainly humanizes his subject. I'm so glad you enjoyed this book!
DeleteAfter reading this graphic novel which had great illustrations although done in black and white, I went to watch the movie "My Friend Dahmer" that came out in 2017. I thought both the novel and the movie did a great job of portraying the chilling insight of what goes on in a serial killers mind and all the events leading up to it. I thought the perspective of his high school experience and having his close friends to tell the story and make sense if it to themselves was unique and well done. I would of named it something like "The childhood of a serial killer". It does make me wonder if someone had tried to help him, interfered, or paid closer attention to if he would have still committed the gruesome crimes later on. Overall I found it to be really intriguing, hard to put down, and the author having known him makes it that much more real and interesting to read.
ReplyDeleteMy friend Dahmer is truly a tragic story to read and makes you wonder what could have been if his life had been slightly different. Its pretty clear that Dahmer was struggling with mental illness, although there is no excuse for the things he ends up doing, I can't help but imagine if he'd end up this way with the right guidance/friends. His parents also probably shouldn't have been as lenient as they were with Dahmer, although I'm sure they didn't realize the extent of what he was capable of. Even though i mentioned the "what if" scenarios, I personally am not really a fan of making Dahmer a character we should be empathizing with. I mean some of the things mentioned in this novel are extremely revolting and I'm not sure his childhood of trauma alone made him like this.
ReplyDeleteThe illustrations kind of reminded me of the paintings of those artists who draw you as a cartoon in six flags. It is unique in its own way and very different from the illustrations we normally see in a graphic novel, but I was not a very big fan of the style. However, the plot and storyline is very intriguing. The author takes you on a journey through his young life and see Dahmer from a different perspective. From all the things that was going on in his teenage years, It truly makes you feel sorry for him. That being said, I don’t believe he had a right to do all of the things that he did, but you can’t help but feel a little bit of sympathy for what he went through as a child. It’s no wonder why he snapped and became a monster. If he had someone who was truly there for him and helped him with his situations, then maybe he wouldn’t have turned out the way that he did. It’s crazy to think about how people can drive someone so far over the line of sanity that they will commit such horrendous actions to others.
ReplyDeleteThe second half of my friend Dahmer was surprisingly even more disturbing than the first. Watching a young man slowly, and then quickly, spiral into darkness was unnerving but also interesting at the same time. Whenever we hear about something terrible in the news, we always think “how could someone do this?” or “why would someone do this?”. Backderf’s account of his experience with Dahmer offers some insight into why serial killers become the way they do. When you compare Dahmer's background to that of other prolific serial killers, there are undeniable similarities in all of them. Without Backderf’s novel, we may have not been able to draw such conclusions and note the similarities since serial killer’s accounts of their own lives are notoriously inaccurate.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I really liked from this half of the story was how Backderf inserted a real photo from his high school yearbook in the page along with the artist’s panels. To me, it made the novel feel more realistic.
Nick Lancia
My Friend Dahmer was an interesting yet alarming graphic novel to say the least. Before this class I had never heard of this story, but even just a few pages in i had a good guess on what the story line was. I feel as though yes Dahmer should be held accountable for his actions and there are no excuses for what crazy and horrific things he did. However i do believe in the idea that people who become serial killers are usually brought up in not so nice homes and around negative people. It was clear at the very beginning when Dahmer could kill so many animals and experiment on them with absolutely no feelings during it. It is obviously very crazy and scary for most, however this is his normal that he was able to find. He went through a lot growing up and then the bullying in high school, he was simply looking for his way to stand out. Unfortunately life guidance lacked frim his family and he took the wrong route. I believe Dahmer could have lived a better more successful life if he had grown up with a little more guidance, structure and levelness. I did not enjoy this novel as it made me cringe more times than none, but the images in the graphic novel were very well illustrated and allowed the reader to feel as if they were living the actual incidents in the book.
ReplyDeleteMy Friend Dahmer was an interesting yet alarming graphic novel to say the least. Before this class I had never heard of this story, but even just a few pages in i had a good guess on what the story line was. I feel as though yes Dahmer should be held accountable for his actions and there are no excuses for what crazy and horrific things he did. However i do believe in the idea that people who become serial killers are usually brought up in not so nice homes and around negative people. It was clear at the very beginning when Dahmer could kill so many animals and experiment on them with absolutely no feelings during it. It is obviously very crazy and scary for most, however this is his normal that he was able to find. He went through a lot growing up and then the bullying in high school, he was simply looking for his way to stand out. Unfortunately life guidance lacked frim his family and he took the wrong route. I believe Dahmer could have lived a better more successful life if he had grown up with a little more guidance, structure and levelness. I did not enjoy this novel as it made me cringe more times than none, but the images in the graphic novel were very well illustrated and allowed the reader to feel as if they were living the actual incidents in the book.
DeleteCarlie McPherson
The first part of my friend Dahmer was very shocking and interesting. Interesting because the main character new so much detail about dahmers life. He also knew about some of the strange scary things and nothing ever clicked in his mind. At the end he mentions how he could never rat on his friends and then say, " ...Where were the damn adults?" I couldn't help but laugh cause it was true. In the second half dahmers sexual urges were if not before even sicker. He started to panic about his crazy fantasies and his solution was alcohol. It was to make him feel numb. It. blows my mind how everyone could smell dahmer and notice how drunk he was except the teachers and administration. In this book I Like how even though this story is told by someone else I still feel as though Dahmer is including his thoughts and feelings as well.
ReplyDelete-K'Mia Sylvester
DeleteI think it's great that ENGL 122 is focusing on Literature and the Canon. It's important to understand the historical contexts and influences of classic works to gain a fuller understanding of literature in general.
ReplyDeleteI recently used ekitaisolutions for english to maithili translation services and was incredibly impressed with the result. The team worked quickly and efficiently to deliver quality english to maithili translation that exceeded my expectations. The translations were accurate and true to the tone of the source material.