My Friend Dahmer

I ordered this edition of the graphic novel after being impressed by the movie made out of it that ran during a local film festival. If you have read "From Hell" you can see "My Friend Dahmer" as a modern equivalent, with the difference that it is written from a very personal and close perspective. Derf Backderf, who was shocked by the reveal of Dahmer's crimes, takes it onto himself to explore the possible reasons for Dahmer's serial killings and gives a very detailed but never sensational glimpse into his lonely teenage years, ignored by his peers and parents alike. Only by playing a role Jeff manages to find some friends, among them the artist, who still always keep a distance and never gain insight to his dark desires that finally can only be fulfilled by murder.

The graphic novel gives the already excellent movie even more depth (Derf writes in the back of the book where all information he used came from.) and afterwards you start to wonder what became of the weird kid you had in your highschool class. This edition also features some shots from the production of the movie and a short prologue by the director and provides some extra info. I didn't know, for example, that the movie was shot in Dahmer's actual family home. If you liked the movie, you should definitely read the graphic novel as well, even if it is usually not your genre.