METERichele Rech is uncomfortable with success. The shy 38-year-old comic book artist, who works from a modest apartment on the outskirts of Rome, does not use the word “fame” but refers to his rise to national prominence as a “thing” he struggles to manage.
In the art world, he is known as Zerocalcare and is the cartoonist equivalent of Hunter S Thompson. Rech’s graphic novels are a form of gonzo journalism, inspired by his own adventures as a protester on the front lines of police violence in Italy and Syria, where he was embedded with Kurdish forces.
This year, Netflix released an adaptation of its most beloved cartoons, in which Rech struggles with pain and job insecurity, while a giant armadillo represents his imaginary conscience. Last month, the series topped the streaming charts in Italy, ahead of South Korea’s hit show Squid Game.
Rech’s career began in 2001 when he chronicled the bloody riots during the Genoa G8 summit in which anti-globalism protesters were severely beaten by Italian police. He was only 17 at the time and was among the protesters.
“That experience was overwhelming,” says Rech. “I felt like anyone in uniform wanted to kill us all. A year later they arrested 25 protesters accused of vandalism. The brutality was not enough; they wanted to put those who participated in the protests behind bars. He needed to tell what happened. That’s where it all started. “
The goal of Rech’s first short comic, Our story at the bar (Our Story in the Dock), was to use the proceeds from its sales to offset the legal costs of young Italians arrested during the riots in Genoa. He first used his pseudonym, Zerocalcare, which means “zero lime,” inspired by a catchy jingle for a TV commercial for a descaling solution. He chose the name hastily, it was the first thing that came to mind.
“I never thought that being a comic book artist could be my main source of income,” said Rech, who used to tutor after school. “Also because a lot of people told me that I didn’t have enough talent to become a cartoonist.”
In 2010, Rech began work on his first graphic novel, The armadillo prophecy. In it, Zerocalcare recounts the mourning of the death of a classmate, interspersed with Italian cultural stereotypes, in the presence of the giant armadillo. Dozens of publishers rejected it, but a start-up company, Bao, believed in the concept, and in 2012, 500 copies were printed. The book was reprinted 24 times and more than 150,000 copies were sold. It was Rech’s first step towards fame among Italian cartoonists.
The second was a 3,600 km journey, when in 2014, the Islamic State launched an attack in northern Syria. Rech, who supported the Kurdish cause, made several trips to the city of Kobani in northern Syria to talk about the resistance of women fighters against IS. The result of those experiences culminated in his 2015 book, Call from Kobane: Greetings from Northern Syria.
His success has continued to grow and now on Netflix is his unconventional animated series, Tear along the dotted line, which follows the existential vicissitudes of a socially awkward cartoonist (Rech’s own avatar) with his armadillo-cum-conscience reflecting his life’s path.
“I was obsessed with the idea of creating an animated series,” says Rech. “First of all, for the music. I had always mentioned my musical suggestions in my comics, but I knew that many people would never listen to them. So I wanted people to listen to my stuff. I sent Netflix hundreds of emails, until they finally relented. They gave me free rein to decide the content as I wanted. “
The series, in which Rech voices all of its characters, except for the armadillo, played by Italian actor Valerio Mastandrea, has become the most watched Netflix show in Italy. The Turk did not like the inclusion in the series of the Kurdish flag of the PKK, considered outrageous by Ankara, which considers the organization a terrorist group.
“Those are the flags of the people who liberated northern Syria from the Islamic State,” Rech says, “of those who gave their lives to fight against Islamic fundamentalism.”
Today, Zerocalcare is one of the most popular hashtags on Italian social media. The crowds that gather at their book signings. They resemble the queues outside of concerts and can last for hours.
“The last time I signed copies of my comics it lasted 14 hours,” he says. “It’s exhausting, but I want my relationship with readers to be as transparent as possible. Some people say that you should hire an agent who says “no” and that you should only sign the first 40 copies. I would feel like I was delegating the dirty work to someone else. But it would be an injustice and I would feel guilty ”.
Rech follows a strict hardcore punk subculture called “straight edge,” whose followers abstain from alcohol, tobacco and drugs, and says it helps him deal with the recent barrage of hits.
She is glad things are going well, but adds: “I just have to learn that things are not the way they were a month ago. And it might not be easy for someone like me. “
For a good understanding of Rech’s personality, there is a Scene from the television series that represents the artist’s philosophy of life.. Returning home after a night with his future love, Zerocalcare finds the armadillo, his alter ego, sitting in a chair while drinking herbal tea. Before Zero closes the door, the armadillo asks him if he’s had sex. “No”, answers the protagonist.
The armadillo responds: “You are a black belt in avoiding life.”
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George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism