Employing fantasy, metaphor, and absurdist comedy, Zerocalcare (KobaneCalling) tells a deeply personal, wholly unexpected family story in hisfreewheeling graphic memoir. His skinny, bugeyed cartoon avatar copes with agrandmother’s death by cleaning out herhouse and searching for amissing ring. In the process, Zerocalcare uncovers startling revelations abouther tumultuous life as a Frenchwoman raised by Russian aristocrats, along withdeeper, darker, sometimes fantastical family secrets. The meticulously loopyartwork ricochets between the slapstick and the solemn, with equal parts snarkypopculture references and delicate visual symbolism. Zerocalcare inhabits aworld of anthropomorphic animals, talks with anarchic foxes, contends with aconscience that takes the form of a chatty armadillo, dodges shadowytrenchcoated figures, and processes the problems of adulthood in terms of animeand video games. His grandmother’s story becomes a springboard intomemories, emotions, family history, international politics, and the geography ofhisItalian hometown. Ultimately, he’s forced to confront his ownweaknesses and reflect that “fear’s actually the most contagious ofall illnesses.” This work from one of Italy’s rising comics starssurprises and charms at every hairpin turn. (Publishers Weekly Mar.)