Up to now, Miss Lasko-Gross and Kevin Colden had never professionally

collaborated in any official capacity — not out of any conscious decision, the pair had just never found the proper vehicle. After all, there hasn’t been a tremendous amount of overlap between the married couple’s respective output. Lasko-Gross’ best known work is the autobiographical Fantagraphics series, Escape from Special and the fantasy series Henni, while Colden’s 2007 rue-crime Fishtown was followed by flirtations with the superhero side of comics. Penned by Lasko-Gross and pencilled by Colden, The Sweetness fittingly marks a departure for both, a grotesquely comic sci-fi work about intergalactic drug smugglers. The pair joined sat down to discuss their first collaboration and the ups and downs of trying to make a living as New York City cartoonists.