The Milwaukee Cannibal – “My Friend Dahmer” | DW Documentary
The graphic novel “My Friend Dahmer” recounts the early years of a serial killer in the US. This deeply disturbing book by Derf Backderf, a school friend of Dahmer’s, delves into the depths of human madness.
Jeffrey Dahmer, one of the most feared serial killers in US history, was arrested in 1991. He had killed 17 men, most of them young, Black, and gay. When he learned of the crimes, Derf Backderf suddenly found himself confronted with his own past: at secondary school and sixth form, he had been on friendly terms with Dahmer, who was already considered an outsider at the time. To process his shock and make sense of it all, Backderf decided to write a graphic novel — a project spanning almost 20 years. “My Friend Dahmer” became one of the most significant works in the genre.
Drawing on previously unpublished archive footage and testimonies from Backderf’s friends, the documentary offers a deep insight into the long and sometimes painful process that went into creating this extraordinary book. It shows just how difficult it is to tell the story of a troubled teenager who appears to be like so many of his contemporaries, but who has a dark secret. How to maintain the necessary distance without succumbing to leniency or developing empathy for the future perpetrator? And how to confront one’s own past without harboring feelings of guilt? A difficult journey, that ultimately made Backderf one of the most famous contemporary comic artists in the US.
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Video “The Milwaukee Cannibal – “My Friend Dahmer” | DW Documentary” was uploaded on 07/22/2026 by DW Documentary Youtube channel.