ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that John “Derf” Backderf's award-winning graphic novel My Friend Dahmer (2012) stands as a unique specimen both within the general corpus of contemporary true crime texts across media and the more specific subset of works devoted to the so-called “Cannibal of Milwaukee”. The first strength of this comic is the fact that journalist and cartoonist Backderf somehow befriended Dahmer when they were teenagers. This provides the novel with a privileged insight into the evolution from a social outcast to an infamous serial killer, while also serving as a sort of confessional exercise for the author. In this process, Backderf debates himself between portraying Dahmer as someone who fell between the cracks of the system with terrible consequences, but also acknowledges there was something intrinsically different and evil in this awkward kid. In particular, my chapter explores how Backderf uses narrative and comics-specific strategies along with his own personal experience to construct a portrait of the young Dahmer that challenges the tendency to iconicize real-life serial killers. To this end, I also discuss how this tale positions itself within the sociocultural context delimitated by modern true crime narratives, the application of graphic novels to violent trauma stories, and the exploitation of sympathy for evil and monstrosity in popular culture.
