Saturday, January 30, 2016

Hart Fisher at Dark History Con

Hart D. Fisher is a comics book writer, horror crime author and publisher.  In 1992, he gained fame (good and bad) for the release of his comic book Jeffrey Dahmer: An Unauthorized Biography of a Serial Killer.
This launched Fisher to the spotlight, but also under the microscope.  He endured a lot of criticism for his work, but he defended it and stood tall throughout.  Fisher took criticism for his decision to do a comic book, but People magazine named Dahmer one of their Most Intriguing People of the Year without anywhere near the same negative response.
Fisher is an interesting person.  Having talked to him at length at the Dark History Con, I can assure you he is not a monster, nor a money-grabber.  He's a deep-thinking, sensitive man, who has suffered his own tragedies in life.
I'm not here to defend the controversial Dahmer comic.  That is a huge issue with too many layers to debate in this forum.  Is it information or sensationalization?  Should victims get part of the proceeds?  What about the feelings of the victims in general?
Fisher has his Amendment rights, but those rights do not guarantee him safety from negative responses.  For his part, he faced (and still faces) his detractors.  This whole situation is quite an interesting study.
Of course, Fisher has had his share of supporters, too.  Hero Illustrated named him "The Most Dangerous Man in Comics" and put him on their Top 100 Most Important People In The Comics Industry list.
Through his work, Fisher provokes thought and emotion.  He was a perfect fit for Dark History Con.  Both are about education, enlightenment and thought-provocation.  You don't have to be a fan necessarily to get something positive out of Fisher (or Dark History Con for that matter).
Fisher has done a lot of other stuff besides the Dahmer comic.  You can check out American Horrors to learn more about Fisher.
Hart Fisher and me in Champagne, IL-September 2015.

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