A fascinating graphic novel by a high-school friend of Jeffrey Dahmer. Backderf paints a disturbing picture not only of a future serial killer, but of life in suburban Ohio in the late 1970s. A constant refrain throughout this responsibly told story: While Dahmer is clearly going downhill, where are all the adults? At school, he drinks and acts out in shockingly frantic ways. At home, his inner demons feed on isolation and sexual confusion while his parents are busy getting divorced. The monster inside him grows, but the conventions of the day won’t provide help or intervention. Reviewed on Aug. 27, 2020