Best know under his pen name, Derf, comic artist John Backderf attended junior high and high school with Jeffrey Dahmer. Nearly 20 years in the making, this graphic novel is Backderf's attempt to come to terms with and understand (but never excuse) how the oddball kid he knew turned into a mass murderer. This is powerful stuff and in my opinion, the best graphic novel of 2012.
This was one several really strong titles from the Abrams Comicarts imprint this year. Others include graphic biographies of Hunter S. Thompson, Kiki de Montparnasse, and the Carter Family as well as Economix, a graphic explanation of economic theory.