Oni Press will release a graphic memoir titled “The Juiciest Tomato of All: Corita Kent, Pop Nun” by Alison Oliver, exploring the impactful life of the lesser-known pop artist and activist Corita Kent.

The press release follows:

Media Release – Oni Press, the multiple Eisner and Harvey Award–winning publisher of groundbreaking comics and graphic novels since 1997, is proud to announce THE JUICIEST TOMATO OF ALL: CORITA KENT, POP NUN, a graphic memoir from bestselling creator Alison Oliver (BabyLit, Be Bold Baby) about the life and times of trailblazing artist Corita Kent. Though not as well-known as her contemporary Andy Warhol, Corita Kent earned international acclaim throughout the 1960s as one of the pop art movement’s leading lights. In the height of her popularity, Kent appeared on the cover of Newsweek, was named one the Los Angeles Times’ Women of the Year, and saw her work exhibited at the Metropolitan Gallery of Art and The Smithsonian. For the first time, THE JUICIEST TOMATO OF ALL: CORITA KENT, POP NUN tells?the inspirational story of how a nun living in Los Angeles managed to become an unlikely hero of America’s cultural revolution… and left an indelible mark on the art world and the face of Catholic sisterhood through her searingly fearless artwork.



“I have been captivated by Corita Kent since first discovering her work in 2009,” said creator Alison Oliver. “Realizing the striking artwork was made by a nun was shocking, and the details of her life, and how she came to be a Pop nun, are so compelling that I kept finding myself asking, ‘Why don’t we know Corita Kent?’ The conclusion I have come to is that she embodied two very powerful archetypes: the artist and the religious person, and we don’t often accept that kind of complexity in a person. As we have become more polarized as a society I think we are at a crucial time to allow for the contradictions that make us human. Corita’s story is captivating because of her iconoclastic nature. It is a story that I think has become more relevant even over the course of time I have spent with her because of her refusal to accept what society demanded of her—that she fit into an easily understandable box.”

“So much of Corita Kent’s story is still timely for our world today,” said Oni Press editor Allyson Gronowitz. “Corita challenged the status quo, speaking out against censorship, war, racial inequality, social injustices, and more. She used her art as a tool to change hearts and minds, all the while emanating a contagious joy and deep-rooted sincerity. What better way to experience the story of this woman in art history than through the visual storytelling medium of graphic novels? Alison Oliver’s beautifully illustrated reimagining of historical events brings Corita’s life to tangible reality through a book that celebrates Corita as both an artist and a nun, as well as everything she stood for.”

Through brightly colored silkscreens and pop culture references, Corita Kent told stories that united her two worlds—a spiritual life and one full of art and beauty. THE JUICIEST TOMATO OF ALL depicts the tale of this Iconoclast woman in history who cared deeply about the world she lived in and saw grace and radiance in everything around her.

Alison Oliver’s THE JUICIEST TOMATO OF ALL will be available from Oni Press on May 11, 2027 wherever graphic novels are sold.

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The Juiciest Tomato of All: Corita Kent, Pop Nun
Written and Illustrated by Alison Oliver
On Sale May 11th, 2027
$24.99 | 144 pgs. | FC
FOC: 4/19/2027

About Alison Oliver

Alison Oliver is the author-illustrator of Moon and its sequel, Sun, and the illustrator of the bestselling BabyLit board books, which introduce children to classic literature. She is also the author-illustrator of the Be Bold, Baby board book series, featuring biographies of inspiring women. With a background in art history, she enjoys discovering and researching artists and their impact on our culture. Oliver lives in New York City, where she runs a studio called Sugar that focuses on design, illustration, and painting.

About Corita Kent

Corita Kent (1918–1986) was an artist, educator, and advocate for social justice. At age 18 she entered the religious order Immaculate Heart of Mary, eventually teaching and then heading the art department at Immaculate Heart College. During the course of her career, her artwork evolved from using figurative and religious imagery to incorporating advertising images and slogans, popular song lyrics, biblical verses, and literature. Throughout the ‘60s, her work became increasingly political, urging viewers to consider poverty, racism, and social injustice. In 1968, she left the order and moved to Boston. After 1970, her work evolved into a sparser, introspective style, influenced by living in a new environment, a secular life, and her battles with cancer. She remained active in social causes until her death in 1986. At the time of her death, she had created almost 800 serigraph editions, thousands of watercolors, and innumerable public and private commissions.

ONI PRESS

THE LOUDEST THING IN COLOR SINCE ‘97. For nearly 30 years, Oni Press has carved a distinctive path as one of the world’s most respected and acclaimed publishers of award-winning comic books and graphic novels, including Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim, Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer, Cullen Bunn & Brian Hurtt’s The Sixth Gun, Brenna Thummler’s Sheets trilogy, Jay Stephens’ Dwellings, Ezra Clayton Daniels’ Upgrade Soul, LySandra Vuong’s Covenant, and many hundreds more. In 2019, Oni Press merged with Lion Forge Comics – the Eisner Award-winning independent comic book publisher founded by Academy Award-winning producer and entrepreneur David Steward II – to create one of the largest, independent libraries of comics content anywhere in media. The Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group now exists as a publishing subsidiary of Steward’s diversified global media company, Polarity.

The Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group publishes more than 60 original and licensed graphic novels annually, in addition to an extensive roster of periodical comics for globally recognized properties including Adventure Time, Biker Mice from Mars, Choose Your Own Adventure, Cult of the Lamb, EC Comics, Murder Drones, Rick and Morty, and more.

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