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My Friend Dahmer (5)

 So I have a confession... I knew Jeffrey Dahmer was a serial killer but I actually didn't know what in specific he did. I remember I heard this title came out as a movie back in 2017-2018 and I watched the trailer for it. It seemed really interesting, but I didn't know it was based on this comic that was a real account of a guy knowing this horrible person. Wow, was that a ride.

Well, Backderf does an amazing job retelling this through his comic. I think he's riding a slippery slope by creating art based off of a serial killer, but he did it very eloquently. And he states multiple times that he made it as a critique of society and how we treat kids, but that getting this experience he has genuinely lived through in his life was worth sharing. I would have to agree, I mean, can you imagine being Backderf? Imagine knowing this kid and knowing something about him is off so you try not to get involved and kind of do anyway, but then the kid eventually goes down as one of the most notorious serial killers of all time. I think I would write something about it, too. 

The final panel actually sent a shiver down my spine. "And we all laughed." I can't even imagine. And the guy's friend!!! He drove Dahmer home and the body was probably in Dahmer's car while he was there. Wow. I am genuinely trying to think of more things to say, but I'm at a loss. It was so much to comprehend and I ended up doing research on him afterword because I didn't know too much about what events actually followed. I'm very glad Backderf didn't include any of the actual murder (of humans that is) into the comic. I think he was respectful about it while still sharing a side to a story we might have never gotten the chance to hear without him.

I think Backderf is right, it could've been prevented if Dahmer's mother wasn't as caught up in her own affairs. It truly is a heinous and disgusting route that the troubled teen had to resort to. While I was researching I also found out that Dahmer was murdered by another inmate while he was in prison. I'm glad Dahmer got his karma, but I wish none of what he did actually happened. 

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