The hour-long 'Annihilation' covers the comedian's struggle to push through the pain after his wife's death last year

Patton Oswalt has just endured the most difficult year of his life, and he’s talking about pushing through the pain and coming out the other side of it in his new stand-up special.

Netflix will release Patton Oswalt: Annihilation Oct. 17, EW has learned. Filmed at Chicago’s Athenaeum Theatre earlier this summer, the one-hour special addresses the comedian’s horrific year and how he tried to cope with tragedy — his wife, crime writer Michelle McNamara, died suddenly last April, leaving him as the sole parent of their 7-year-old daughter, Alice — using the tool he knows best: humor. Oswalt will cover other topics in Annihilation, ranging from social media, robocalls, and, yes, the political climate.

Image zoom Elizabeth Morris/Netflix

One of the most respected stand-ups working today, Oswalt released his first Netflix special last April. Talking for Clapping not only won an Emmy, but the album version claimed a Grammy.