jcpdiesel21's review against another edition
4.0
Dark, unsettling and compelling. The title is a misnomer since Backderf and Dahmer weren't more than mere acquaintances, but it's interesting to get a look at a serial killer during his formative years when his peers clearly sensed that something was off about him. Although I don't care much for the artwork, Backderf perfectly captures the spirit of the 70s on these pages. When I read nonfiction, I usually skip or skim the notes section, yet I eagerly read every word of this book's notes, which add another layer of facts and reflection atop the events depicted.
shonaningyo's review against another edition
4.0
This was just...wow.
This book made me feel all sorts of things, mostly pity, empathy, sympathy, etc.
What Jeffrey Dahmer is renowned for is inexcusably evil, depraved, sadistic, cruel, etc. and all that jazz.
But while Derf was only a "sort-of friend" to Dahmer, the way he drew the comics (which kind of reminds me of some of the weird commercial animations that appear on Adult Swim) and the tone he used was with a tone of finality, morbidity, depression, and regret.
Because if you went to school with a to-be serial killer, wouldnt you have tried your damnedest to make sure they wouldn't have walked down such a path?
Dahmer was the kid who "didn't belong". I can attest to that feeling on account of my Asperger's and ADHD making me a tough cookie to get along with in my early years, but once I hit around 6th grade I readily began to accept how to change my behavior and become more approachable. For some that is not easy at all: You may have done some things or simply act a certain way as to be rendered a complete freak or undesirable, as in the case of Dahmer.
His "sort-of friend" Derf repeatedly states that they weren't close friends and admits that he was more of a "mascot" to their little group that they made fun of, but not with malicious intent, because Dahmer never asserted that he was bothered by it. That doesn't make it okay, but kids are stupid and since these are teenaged boys, if you don't say it outright how are they supposed to know? And this was the 70s, people...
His parents' constant fighting, his mother's obvious mental problems, coupled with Dahmer's own unlikeability at school and feeling like he had no one to turn to when he began to feel certain urges. Who was he supposed to turn to when he could barely connect with kids at school, or teachers, or his own family? You learn to develop coping skills and how to handle emotions from your environment, they're not just instilled within you at birth. The fact that he had no such tools made it virtually impossible for him to say anything about what he was feeling.
Reading and looking at the artist's depiction of what Dahmer did during his teen years... drinking, hanging around the school drunk, beating trees with branches to let go of his anger, generally being by himself, and struggling with his thoughts... It pained me deeply.
During Freshman year of high school I was in a bad place. It was around Christmas and I was in a pit of despair due to stress and confusion and worry and self-hatred and other feelings that I didn't know existed. I had random thoughts of "What would happen if I smothered my little sister with this pillow?" "What would happen if I shoved this pencil right through this kid's ear canal?". I even contemplated stealing knives from the kitchen and murdering my sisters in my sleep. I was so goddamn afraid of what I was thinking and too afraid to kill myself. The tears that I cried were buckets and buckets and I eventually was sent to a psych ward for two weeks in like, February.
Those days are like a black mark on my brain. Now imagine that kind of anguish and stretch that out for say, your whole high school career. That was what Dahmer was going through. He was terrified of what he was thinking and he tried to drink to numb those thoughts. His parents were completely oblivious, as were the teachers and his classmates just knew he was a cold time bomb that hopefully fizzled out before anything outrageous happened.
Again, what Dahmer eventually came to do to those poor people is reprehensible but I am staunchly against the idea that he was "a coward" for not killing himself, as the author put it. Is it really that easy to kill yourself? I didn't despite my wish to seriously harm and possibly fatally wound other people during those dark days of mine. Why didn't he get help from his father who tried to be there for him? My Mom and Dad technically were there for me, it doesn't mean that I immediately went to them for help when I started feeling like I did. My mom found me in my room with the door closed and the light turned off, bawling in the corner in the dark.
No one was there to intervene on his behalf. Everyone was too wrapped up in their own problems or too oblivious to see he had some goddamn problems. When you realize that no one cares, it's hard to believe that anyone would help you or understand you. He felt that no one could understand him and I bet he would be correct, especially during the time he was a kid and the people he was surrounded by.
His fear of loneliness was also heartbreaking because I've felt that too.
According to the interviews he has given, he was truly sorry for what he had done. Despite his cruelty and mercilessness with how he treated his victims and their bodies, he was sorry. That one cannibal dictator in Uganda or whatever became a pastor and now preaches God's love. So it is definitely not beyond my belief that Dahmer truly was remorseful. He just couldn't stop himself because at some point it seems like no matter what you do, it won't stop. And so he decided to not hold it back any longer. And he killed those people, raped them, etc.
Again, I know I sound like an apologist or one of those serial killer lovers that gets too engrossed in people like them, but Dahmer to me is a kind of tragic story when you look into such a depressing aspect of his life like this comic. I find people like David Parker Ray and Henry Lee Lucas and Charles Manson to be absolute freaking fucked up freaks of nature, but Dahmer...I don't know. I've been there, I've experienced shades of what he has, so I can't immediately say "How can you do that? How could you not stop yourself?"
Well he had no medication other than booze to wave away the terrible thoughts he had. And he was never someone who could easily get close to other people so as to trust them. The adults around him didn't give a shit about him. Really, is it that hard to understand?
This book made me feel all sorts of things, mostly pity, empathy, sympathy, etc.
What Jeffrey Dahmer is renowned for is inexcusably evil, depraved, sadistic, cruel, etc. and all that jazz.
But while Derf was only a "sort-of friend" to Dahmer, the way he drew the comics (which kind of reminds me of some of the weird commercial animations that appear on Adult Swim) and the tone he used was with a tone of finality, morbidity, depression, and regret.
Because if you went to school with a to-be serial killer, wouldnt you have tried your damnedest to make sure they wouldn't have walked down such a path?
Dahmer was the kid who "didn't belong". I can attest to that feeling on account of my Asperger's and ADHD making me a tough cookie to get along with in my early years, but once I hit around 6th grade I readily began to accept how to change my behavior and become more approachable. For some that is not easy at all: You may have done some things or simply act a certain way as to be rendered a complete freak or undesirable, as in the case of Dahmer.
His "sort-of friend" Derf repeatedly states that they weren't close friends and admits that he was more of a "mascot" to their little group that they made fun of, but not with malicious intent, because Dahmer never asserted that he was bothered by it. That doesn't make it okay, but kids are stupid and since these are teenaged boys, if you don't say it outright how are they supposed to know? And this was the 70s, people...
His parents' constant fighting, his mother's obvious mental problems, coupled with Dahmer's own unlikeability at school and feeling like he had no one to turn to when he began to feel certain urges. Who was he supposed to turn to when he could barely connect with kids at school, or teachers, or his own family? You learn to develop coping skills and how to handle emotions from your environment, they're not just instilled within you at birth. The fact that he had no such tools made it virtually impossible for him to say anything about what he was feeling.
Reading and looking at the artist's depiction of what Dahmer did during his teen years... drinking, hanging around the school drunk, beating trees with branches to let go of his anger, generally being by himself, and struggling with his thoughts... It pained me deeply.
During Freshman year of high school I was in a bad place. It was around Christmas and I was in a pit of despair due to stress and confusion and worry and self-hatred and other feelings that I didn't know existed. I had random thoughts of "What would happen if I smothered my little sister with this pillow?" "What would happen if I shoved this pencil right through this kid's ear canal?". I even contemplated stealing knives from the kitchen and murdering my sisters in my sleep. I was so goddamn afraid of what I was thinking and too afraid to kill myself. The tears that I cried were buckets and buckets and I eventually was sent to a psych ward for two weeks in like, February.
Those days are like a black mark on my brain. Now imagine that kind of anguish and stretch that out for say, your whole high school career. That was what Dahmer was going through. He was terrified of what he was thinking and he tried to drink to numb those thoughts. His parents were completely oblivious, as were the teachers and his classmates just knew he was a cold time bomb that hopefully fizzled out before anything outrageous happened.
Again, what Dahmer eventually came to do to those poor people is reprehensible but I am staunchly against the idea that he was "a coward" for not killing himself, as the author put it. Is it really that easy to kill yourself? I didn't despite my wish to seriously harm and possibly fatally wound other people during those dark days of mine. Why didn't he get help from his father who tried to be there for him? My Mom and Dad technically were there for me, it doesn't mean that I immediately went to them for help when I started feeling like I did. My mom found me in my room with the door closed and the light turned off, bawling in the corner in the dark.
No one was there to intervene on his behalf. Everyone was too wrapped up in their own problems or too oblivious to see he had some goddamn problems. When you realize that no one cares, it's hard to believe that anyone would help you or understand you. He felt that no one could understand him and I bet he would be correct, especially during the time he was a kid and the people he was surrounded by.
His fear of loneliness was also heartbreaking because I've felt that too.
According to the interviews he has given, he was truly sorry for what he had done. Despite his cruelty and mercilessness with how he treated his victims and their bodies, he was sorry. That one cannibal dictator in Uganda or whatever became a pastor and now preaches God's love. So it is definitely not beyond my belief that Dahmer truly was remorseful. He just couldn't stop himself because at some point it seems like no matter what you do, it won't stop. And so he decided to not hold it back any longer. And he killed those people, raped them, etc.
Again, I know I sound like an apologist or one of those serial killer lovers that gets too engrossed in people like them, but Dahmer to me is a kind of tragic story when you look into such a depressing aspect of his life like this comic. I find people like David Parker Ray and Henry Lee Lucas and Charles Manson to be absolute freaking fucked up freaks of nature, but Dahmer...I don't know. I've been there, I've experienced shades of what he has, so I can't immediately say "How can you do that? How could you not stop yourself?"
Well he had no medication other than booze to wave away the terrible thoughts he had. And he was never someone who could easily get close to other people so as to trust them. The adults around him didn't give a shit about him. Really, is it that hard to understand?
thereistime's review against another edition
3.0
This is a really interesting subject matter, and I wish the author had spent less time reiterating that he and Dahmer weren't really friends and Dahmer was just this weird kid he saw around school.
Overall this was an interesting read, covering a little of Dahmer's life as seen from an outsider's perspective. Definitely a good graphic novel for people who have read other, more informational, books on Dahmer's life and crimes.
Overall this was an interesting read, covering a little of Dahmer's life as seen from an outsider's perspective. Definitely a good graphic novel for people who have read other, more informational, books on Dahmer's life and crimes.
lilyzreadz's review against another edition
dark
funny
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
2.5
My biggest gripe with the book is the misogynistic art style. Every single woman in the book has an extreme hourglass figure, even the high school girls and his depressed mother. It felt super unnecessary, especially in this contest. It distracted me from enjoying my read. I was excited to learn more about Dahmer, but I didn't learn many new things about him (not shocked he was a loner and hurt animals).
marinaslibrary's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
Absolutely stellar.
When it comes to true crime we walk a VERY fine line between explaining a killers motives, and ending up defending them. Truly, it is difficult to portray a killer, and one at that as cruel and infamous as Dahmer, (the families of the victims of whom have been continually disturbed at that, by the public, along with Dahmer's portayal in media regarding his murders).
However. This book does manage to do just that.
The amount of research that has gone into this is impressive. The fact that said research, is being communicated to the reader in easy to understand and remember ways ( the notes in the back of the book containing a huge amount of information explaining every page are a treasure) is outstanding.
This is well researched, it respects the deceased, It has a few comical aspects in between the tragedy of it all, and it manages to showcase what made Dahmer do what he did, along with his struggles, without taking away from the evil he committed.
100% recommended
When it comes to true crime we walk a VERY fine line between explaining a killers motives, and ending up defending them. Truly, it is difficult to portray a killer, and one at that as cruel and infamous as Dahmer, (the families of the victims of whom have been continually disturbed at that, by the public, along with Dahmer's portayal in media regarding his murders).
However. This book does manage to do just that.
The amount of research that has gone into this is impressive. The fact that said research, is being communicated to the reader in easy to understand and remember ways ( the notes in the back of the book containing a huge amount of information explaining every page are a treasure) is outstanding.
This is well researched, it respects the deceased, It has a few comical aspects in between the tragedy of it all, and it manages to showcase what made Dahmer do what he did, along with his struggles, without taking away from the evil he committed.
100% recommended
ktxx22's review against another edition
1.0
Sorry I’m not sorry but this Author is an asshole. The term “Friend” is used extremely loosely in this book. I’m not gonna say that everyone will agree with me on this but for me. Derf and the group of guys that claim to have been Dahmer’s friends were nothing more than low key bully’s. They use Jeff’s wild antics to entertain themselves, and the masses. They never once reached out to him or offer any semblance of true friendship. And it Pissed me off that the author would even write this graphic novel and pen it under the term Friendship. Hate’s a strong word but... I’m close to saying it. The information about Dahmer in high school is interesting but that’s it. 1/5. I don’t recommend this. And I will be seeking out a better representation and true crime version of Jeffrey Dahmer’s story.
spinningjenny's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.0
It seems a shame we don't work on helping people to not feel so lonely with themselves; interesting to see the perspective on Dahmer being odd and no adults seeming to notice/care.
crystal_reading's review against another edition
2.0
I feel like I need a shower for my brain. On the one hand, this must mean that the author did a good job. I felt the book. On the other hand, I just want to say, "Ick, ick, icky, ick, ick." This was an incredibly sad book. Too many lives were ended or royally screwed up.
The author did a good job with research and giving an even handed view of what happened for the most part, but this was just a sad twisted life to report.
The author did a good job with research and giving an even handed view of what happened for the most part, but this was just a sad twisted life to report.