Black Pomegranates
Black Pomegranates (2019) is a graphic novel I researched, wrote, storyboarded, and drew by hand to complete my senior comprehensive requirement at Occidental College. The novel concerns the hypocrisy and cultural turbulence the arose after the Christianization of Russia in 988, in which the Pagan tribes of Russia had to undergo conversion to an entirely new religion. Instead of a smooth transition, Russia’s size and disparate population caused overlap between the two religions, creating a double-faith that is still subliminally evident in Russian culture today. This story is set in a fictional Russian village that practices this double-faith, using the guise of Christianity to cover up a legacy of Paganism. Maria, a young girl living on the edge of the village, is marked as a witch by her community, but they do not know enough about her belief system to understand that she is actually Jewish. My graphic novel deals with the ignorance and in intolerance that has been a core element to Russia’s history, and I explore my heritage and the legacy of violence against jews in this piece.
Download a 10-page digital sample of Black Pomegranates HERE