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Review Quotes:
Employing fantasy, metaphor, and absurdist comedy, Zerocalcare (Kobane Calling) tells a deeply personal, wholly unexpected family story in his freewheeling graphic memoir. His skinny, bugeyed cartoon avatar copes with a grandmother's death by cleaning out her
house and searching for a missing ring. In the process, Zerocalcare uncovers startling revelations about her tumultuous life as a Frenchwoman raised by Russian aristocrats, along with deeper, darker, sometimes fantastical family secrets. The meticulously loopy artwork ricochets between the slapstick and the solemn, with equal parts snarky popculture references and delicate visual symbolism. Zerocalcare inhabits a world of anthropomorphic animals, talks with anarchic foxes, contends with a conscience that takes the form of a chatty armadillo, dodges shadowy trenchcoated figures, and processes the problems of adulthood in terms of anime and video games. His grandmother's story becomes a springboard into memories, emotions, family history, international politics, and the geography of his
Italian hometown. Ultimately, he's forced to confront his own weaknesses and reflect that "fear's actually the most contagious of all illnesses." This work from one of Italy's rising comics stars surprises and charms at every hairpin turn. (Publishers Weekly Mar.)
Review Quotes:
"Fantastical. Hilarious. Neurotic. Pop-cultural. A truly unique look at family history and relationships, as well as one's inner self, as the author attempts to come to terms with the death of his grandmother. And yes, that's right - even given those circumstances, it is indeed hilarious, and irreverently so much of the time. But at no point do you feel anything less than love from Italian comics phenomenon Zerocalcare. It's just that there's now so many feelings to both block and sift through." - The Comics Journal
Publisher Marketing:
Zerocalcare original animated series "Tear Along The Dotted Line" debuts on Netflix WORLDWIDE November 17th!
When the last vestiges of his childhood are taken from him, Zerocalcare discovers unsuspected se-crets about his family. Torn between the soothing numbness of the innocence of youth and the im-possibility to elude society's ever expanding control over people's lives, he'll have to understand where he really comes from, before he understands where he is going.
A story that was shortlisted for Italy's prestigious Strega literary award, an honor that was bestowed on a graphic novel only twice in the award's history. This is the book that has broken down the barrier between "real book" readers and graphic novel enthusiasts in Europe, having sold over 150,000 copies so far.
Review Citations:
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Publishers Weekly 03/14/2022 (EAN 9781950912728, Hardcover) - *Starred Review
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