POMEgranate Magazine

What Gothic Horror Taught Me About Romance

  • Jaime Mosquera

    • In this short comic, Jaime unpacks the alluring combination of gothic tropes and queer love in some of his favorite stories.

    "At the beginning of 2021 I made the goal to read more, a New Year's resolution that would have been an empty promise if it weren't for Carmilla." The author in a red jumpsuit, reading Carmilla. "The 2019 version edited by the spectacular Carmen Maria Machado transported me into the intense love story between the isolated Laura and seductive Carmilla." "I couldn't pinpoint just one thing that drew me to it." The author, making heart eyes and blushing while reading Carmilla. "I mean, the first draw was obvious: It was about a lesbian vampire." Three images: Carmilla whispering into a blushing Laura's ear, Laura with her back to the audience, standing in the grass and looking at a far off castle, and Carmilla with her fangs out, eyes marked out by the artist. "But there was also Carmilla's sweet musings into Laura's ear as she swooped in on a lonely Laura stuck in her isolated manor (a relatable feeling during the pandemic)." "Or maybe I was fascinated by a romance where the pursuer is not a nice person, and not in the brash, aloof way of Mr. Darcy." "Carmilla was killing Laura, and Laura still welcomed her."
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