Derf
Encyclopedia
Derf is the pseudonym of American
artist John Backderf, most famous for the comic strip The City, which has appeared in a number of alternative newspapers since 1990. In 2006 Derf won the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award
for cartooning.
, The Chicago Reader
, Cleveland Scene
, Miami New Times
, Houston Press
, Pittsburgh City Paper
, The Providence Phoenix, and Washington City Paper
.
My Friend Dahmer depicts the author's teenage friendship with serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer
during his time at Eastview Junior High and Revere High School
. Backderf, while not excusing Dahmer's crimes, presents Dahmer as a surprisingly sympathetic kid who was tormented by inner demons and neglected by the adults in his life. The comic recalls Dahmer's isolation, his binge drinking, his bizarre behavior to get attention, and his disturbing fascination with roadkill. Derf s and his friends encouraged Dahmer's to act out, including fake epileptic fits in the library and his imitation of a cerebral palsy victim. The story follows Dahmer from age 12, when he was a shy, bespeckled kid, right up to the day he kills his first victim a mere two weeks after high school graduation."My Friend Dahmer" was nominated for an Eisner Award and was adapted and staged as a one-act play by the NYU Theater Dept.
"Trashed" is Derf's second book, a raucous comic memoir of the year he spent as a garbageman in his rural hometown at age 19. Published in 2002 by SLG Publishing, "Trashed" was nominated for an Eisner Award. Derf has recently revisited the project as a webcomic on Derfcity.com.
"Punk Rock & Trailer Parks" is Derf's latest book, published in 2010 by SLG Publishing. The 152-page graphic novel is set in 1980, during the punk rock heyday in Akron, Ohio, whose vibrant music scene produced such acts as Devo, Chrissie Hynde, the Cramps and so many other acts "Melody Maker" wrote that Akron was "the new Liverpool." "Punk Rock & Trailer Parks" is a fictional story that follows one remarkable young man named Otto, who through talent, wits and sheer chutzpah becomes a star in the Rubber City punk scene and has memorable meetings with underground luminaries of the day, including Wendy O. Williams, Stiv Bators, Lester Bangs and The Clash. "Punk Rock & Trailer Parks" was featured in the 2010 edition of "Best American Comics" (Houghton Mifflin)
, The Wall Street Journal
and Progressive Magazine. His illustrations have also appeared on posters, t-shirts and CD covers. His art has been compared to Robert Crumb
, with his use of black to "project character and menace" praised. Derf cites Crumb as an influence, along with Mad Magazine and Vaughn Bodé
. He cites Expressionism
as the inspiration for his usage of heavy ink, but feels the major influence on his work is the imagery of punk
, a movement Derf immersed himself in during the late 1980s.
His work has been displayed in many galleries and museums both in the United States and abroad. In 1995, he had a large solo show at Altered Image Gallery in Cleveland and in 1999 the Akron Art Museum
put on a retrospective of his work, titled "Apocalyptic Giggles: The Industrial Cartoon Humor of Derf."
Of his many book projects, his most recent are: The City: The World’s Most Grueling Comic Strip (SLG Publishing, 2003), Attitude: The New Subversive Political Cartoonists (NBM, 2002), Trashed (SLG Publishing, 2002) and My Friend Dahmer (Derfcity Comics, 2002). The last two Andrew Arnold of Time.com called "The funniest book of the year so far, followed by the creepiest".
in 1995. In 2006 Derf won the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award
for cartooning.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
artist John Backderf, most famous for the comic strip The City, which has appeared in a number of alternative newspapers since 1990. In 2006 Derf won the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award
Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award
The Robert F. Kennedy Awards for Excellence in Journalism is journalisms award named after Robert F. Kennedy and awarded by the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights. The annual awards are issued in several categories and were established in December 1968 by a group of reporters who...
for cartooning.
The City
Backderf is one of the most widely published alternative cartoonists in the U.S. His comic strip, The City, appears regularly in over 50 weekly newspapers. It debuted in the now-defunct Cleveland Edition in 1990 and quickly spread to papers coast-to-coast, including: The Village VoiceThe Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
, The Chicago Reader
The Chicago Reader
The Chicago Reader is an American alternative weekly newspaper in Chicago, Illinois, noted for its literary style of journalism and coverage of the arts, particularly film and theater. It was founded in 1971 by a group of friends from Carleton College...
, Cleveland Scene
Cleveland Scene
The Cleveland Scene is an alternative weekly newspaper based in Cleveland, Ohio. The newspaper includes highlights of Cleveland-area arts, music, dining, and films, as well as classified advertising...
, Miami New Times
Miami New Times
The Miami New Times is a free weekly newspaper published in Miami and distributed every Thursday. It primarily serves the Miami area and is headquartered near Miami's Design District.-Overview:...
, Houston Press
Houston Press
The Houston Press is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in Downtown Houston....
, Pittsburgh City Paper
Pittsburgh City Paper
The Pittsburgh City Paper is Pittsburgh's leading alternative weekly newspaper which focuses on local news, opinion, and arts and entertainment...
, The Providence Phoenix, and Washington City Paper
Washington City Paper
The Washington City Paper is a U.S. alternative weekly newspaper serving the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.Founded in 1981, and published for its first year under the masthead 1981, taking the City Paper name in volume 2, by Russ Smith, it shared ownership with the Chicago Reader from 1982...
.
My Friend Dahmer and other graphic novels
My Friend Dahmer is a comic book project first started in 1994, shortly after Dahmer's death in prison. Derf's first Dahmer story appeared in Zero Zero #18 (Fantagraphics, July 1997). Derf then pitched the project as a 100-page graphic novel, but failed to find a publisher. he then self-published a scaled-back 24-page My Friend Dahmer comic book in 2002.My Friend Dahmer depicts the author's teenage friendship with serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer
Jeffrey Dahmer
Jeffrey Lionel Dahmer was an American serial killer and sex offender. Dahmer murdered 17 men and boys between 1978 and 1991, with the majority of the murders occurring between 1987 and 1991. His murders involved rape, dismemberment, necrophilia and cannibalism...
during his time at Eastview Junior High and Revere High School
Revere High School
Revere High School is the public high school of the Revere Local School District in Richfield and Bath, Ohio. In 2007 and 2008, US News and World Report issued Revere High School a silver star, signifying that it is one of the top 505 high schools in the United States...
. Backderf, while not excusing Dahmer's crimes, presents Dahmer as a surprisingly sympathetic kid who was tormented by inner demons and neglected by the adults in his life. The comic recalls Dahmer's isolation, his binge drinking, his bizarre behavior to get attention, and his disturbing fascination with roadkill. Derf s and his friends encouraged Dahmer's to act out, including fake epileptic fits in the library and his imitation of a cerebral palsy victim. The story follows Dahmer from age 12, when he was a shy, bespeckled kid, right up to the day he kills his first victim a mere two weeks after high school graduation."My Friend Dahmer" was nominated for an Eisner Award and was adapted and staged as a one-act play by the NYU Theater Dept.
"Trashed" is Derf's second book, a raucous comic memoir of the year he spent as a garbageman in his rural hometown at age 19. Published in 2002 by SLG Publishing, "Trashed" was nominated for an Eisner Award. Derf has recently revisited the project as a webcomic on Derfcity.com.
"Punk Rock & Trailer Parks" is Derf's latest book, published in 2010 by SLG Publishing. The 152-page graphic novel is set in 1980, during the punk rock heyday in Akron, Ohio, whose vibrant music scene produced such acts as Devo, Chrissie Hynde, the Cramps and so many other acts "Melody Maker" wrote that Akron was "the new Liverpool." "Punk Rock & Trailer Parks" is a fictional story that follows one remarkable young man named Otto, who through talent, wits and sheer chutzpah becomes a star in the Rubber City punk scene and has memorable meetings with underground luminaries of the day, including Wendy O. Williams, Stiv Bators, Lester Bangs and The Clash. "Punk Rock & Trailer Parks" was featured in the 2010 edition of "Best American Comics" (Houghton Mifflin)
Art
Backderf has contributed to many well-known national publications, including PlayboyPlayboy
Playboy is an American men's magazine that features photographs of nude women as well as journalism and fiction. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. The magazine has grown into Playboy Enterprises, Inc., with...
, The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal
The Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
and Progressive Magazine. His illustrations have also appeared on posters, t-shirts and CD covers. His art has been compared to Robert Crumb
Robert Crumb
Robert Dennis Crumb —known as Robert Crumb and R. Crumb—is an American artist, illustrator, and musician recognized for the distinctive style of his drawings and his critical, satirical, subversive view of the American mainstream.Crumb was a founder of the underground comix movement and is regarded...
, with his use of black to "project character and menace" praised. Derf cites Crumb as an influence, along with Mad Magazine and Vaughn Bodé
Vaughn Bodé
Vaughn Bodē was an artist involved in underground comics, graphic design and graffiti. He is perhaps best known for his comic strip character Cheech Wizard and artwork depicting voluptuous women. His works are noted for their psychedelic look and feel...
. He cites Expressionism
Expressionism
Expressionism was a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Germany at the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it radically for emotional effect in order to evoke moods or ideas...
as the inspiration for his usage of heavy ink, but feels the major influence on his work is the imagery of punk
Punk subculture
The punk subculture includes a diverse array of ideologies, and forms of expression, including fashion, visual art, dance, literature, and film, which grew out of punk rock.-History:...
, a movement Derf immersed himself in during the late 1980s.
His work has been displayed in many galleries and museums both in the United States and abroad. In 1995, he had a large solo show at Altered Image Gallery in Cleveland and in 1999 the Akron Art Museum
Akron Art Museum
The Akron Art Museum is an art museum in Akron, Ohio, USA.The museum first opened its doors on February 1, 1922, as the Akron Art Institute. It was located in two borrowed rooms in the basement of the public library...
put on a retrospective of his work, titled "Apocalyptic Giggles: The Industrial Cartoon Humor of Derf."
Of his many book projects, his most recent are: The City: The World’s Most Grueling Comic Strip (SLG Publishing, 2003), Attitude: The New Subversive Political Cartoonists (NBM, 2002), Trashed (SLG Publishing, 2002) and My Friend Dahmer (Derfcity Comics, 2002). The last two Andrew Arnold of Time.com called "The funniest book of the year so far, followed by the creepiest".
Awards
He has won over 50 awards for his newspaper work, including a prestigious Bronze Medal from the Society of Newspaper Design. He was a member of the newsroom team for the Akron Beacon Journal that was awarded the Pulitzer PrizePulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
in 1995. In 2006 Derf won the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award
Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award
The Robert F. Kennedy Awards for Excellence in Journalism is journalisms award named after Robert F. Kennedy and awarded by the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights. The annual awards are issued in several categories and were established in December 1968 by a group of reporters who...
for cartooning.
Personal life
Backderf has suffered from poor health in recent years, including a bout with cancer and a recent heart attack, possibly induced by the massive radiation treatments required to treat his cancerous tumor.External links
- Derfcity
- Derf (John Backderf), LambiekLambiekLambiek is a comic book store and art gallery in Amsterdam, founded in 1968 by Kees Kousemaker .It has held exhibitions of art by comic creators, including Robert Crumb, Daniel Clowes, Erik Kriek, André Franquin, Tanino Liberatore and Chris Ware...
- The City by John Backderf, GoComicsGoComicsGoComics is a website launched in 2005 by the digital entertainment provider Uclick. It was originally created as a distribution portal for comic strips on mobile phones, but in 2006, the site was redesigned and expanded to include online strips and cartoons...