Written (and illustrated) by a classmate of one of America's most notorious serial killers, Jeffrey Dahmer, My Friend Dahmer depicts the teenage years of Dahmer's life and his slow downward spiral into murder. After Derf's standup routine as Hitler, he goes to get some water and runs into Dahmer, having a brief chat with him. Derf makes a note that yes, he did indeed have a conversation with Jeffrey Dahmer while dressed as Adolf Hitler and that in hindsight it's one of the most surreal moments of his life. The Larry King Live show in 2008 included a segment with Fisher about Jeffrey Dahmer memorabilia, including Fisher's comics. [16] The episode also has a young Gerard Way of My Chemical Romance, an employee of Fisher's in the early 1990s. Fisher also discussed the Dahmer comic book on a panel at the 2011 South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. [17] Legal issues, tragedies, and controversies [ edit ]

Un-person: The Dahmer Fan Club organizes a prank where they sneak Jeff into group photos of student organizations where he doesn't belong. A faculty member furiously scribbles over ◊ Jeff's face in one of the pictures when she finds out, while all of the other pictures are removed by the yearbook committee. That picture becomes a symbol of "Dahmer's wasted youth." note In Real Life, Revere High has a "Wall of Fame" featuring dozens of photo collages for each year's Graduating Class. The photo collection of the Class of 1978 is absent due to Dahmer being among that group of photos. Sometimes when reading non-fiction it feels like it is just an extended research paper. But, when the author was actually involved in the events, it gains a bit more of a personal investment. My Friend Dahmer is definitely the most intense first-hand non-fiction I have ever read. It's not just another exposé on a horrifying story, it is well fleshed out, truthful retelling of previously little known events from before the nightmare began. Horror Coloring Book: for Adults with Nightmare Halloween Terrifying Monsters A Serial Killers from Classic Horror MoviesIn the middle of the book, Jeff comes across a dog in the street and takes it into the woods with the intention of killing it. Jeff can't bring himself to go through with it, throws his knife to the ground, and lets the dog go free. Derf notes this is the last time Jeff will ever show mercy. Supporting Protagonist: Derf is the narrator and viewpoint character, but the comic is clearly Jeff's story. Godzilla Coloring Book: Godzilla Monster Coloring Book Designed For Stress Relieving And Creativity When recounting an incident where a kid fell and landed on his shoulder near Jeff, Derf notes that the latter was very much this. Jeff's response was to laugh at the kid's pain, rather than help him up or at least express concern, showing that he was always an unpleasant person at best even before he became a Serial Killer.

There Are No Therapists: There certainly wasn't any kind of professional attention towards Jeff, as Derf repeatedly points out. Derf speculates that the Dahmer family didn't consider getting Jeff help, since his mother had previously sought mental care herself with little results. Instead, what was more infuriating is this is essentially a tale of some nondescript dudes who are amused by a peer's offbeat behavior in high school. Bizarre, I know. But this friendship (if you can call it that, and I wouldn't if you're concerned with accuracy) is a purely superficial distraction infusing the story with absolutely nothing of substance. Senior year, they all stopped hanging out with him. So now I'm supposed to believe that the author was his friend, knew Dahmer's inner demons, and there are even at times when he wonders if their bunch could have prevented Dahmer from committing his atrocious crimes? The author never even sees Dahmer anytime after graduation. Yet the book is titled My Friend Dahmer. An Aesop: If someone shows signs of distress or mental illness, intervene as soon as possible or those problems will get worse. Young Jeffrey Dahmer". Archived from the original on October 24, 2008 . Retrieved August 27, 2011. , p. 2Adaptation Name Change: A number of supporting characters' names are not what they were in Real Life, presumably for legal reasons. Lloyd Figg was not really "Lloyd Figg", while "Neil" and "Kent" were likely also pseudonyms (only John/Derf and Mike go by their real names). Cindy Zlatka (the suicide discussed in the fishing scene) likely didn't go by that name. Barnette, Mark (November 1994). "Comics Library: The New Icon: Boneyard Press". The Comics Journal. No.172. p.9-50. Subverted in regards to Lloyd Figg, whom Jeff is compared to. Lloyd appears blatantly Ax-Crazy next to the more quiet and awkward Jeff... but Jeff is the one that became a Serial Killer. Team Pet: Dahmer's fan club regard him more as a mascot than anything else; they hang out with him because they find him hilarious, but he's just too creepy to consider an actual friend.

a b c d e f g Arrant, Chris (May 8, 2012). "Derf Opens Up About His High School Friend Jeffrey Dahmer in New Graphic Novel". Publishers Weekly . Retrieved August 5, 2022.Most of his classmates, when they thought about him at all, considered him weird, but another student was regarded as the "class psycho." Class Clown: Jeff gets a following by pranking students and teachers with fake cerebral palsy behavior. Hart Fisher Tells Us Crazy Stories: In The Beginning". Optimum Wound. November 12, 2008 . Retrieved March 15, 2022. Derf couldn't remember what the walls, carpets, and furnishings in the Dahmer house looked like, so everything inside is based on the general fashions of the time period. So when I produced, at long last, the final incarnation of the book, I sent out the completed first draft. It was essentially done,” Derf points out. “Because I knew, once someone started to read it, they would get swept up in the story. And that, in fact, is exactly what happened. First with my agent, Matthew Carnicelli, and then with my editor at Abrams, Charlie Kochman. He didn't even want to read it, but Matthew convinced him. And once he did, that was it, he wanted it.”