Miss Lasko-Gross

• Birth Name — Melissa Lasko • Born — 1977 • Birthplace — Boston, Massachusetts • Nationality — American • Write — y • Art — y • Publish — y • Notable Works — Henni, Escape from Special A Mess of Everything • Awards — YALSA's 2008 Great Graphic Novels nominee

Melissa Lasko was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1977. She grew up reading comics, with her favorite ones ranging from Fantastic Four to Love and Rockets.

In high school, Lasko-Gross began to create her own self-published comic series, Aim, which she promoted by doing consignments with local comic book stores. It was at this point that she became a member of the comic book community. She said she found more kinship with comic creators than with comic fans, as they could bond over the process of producing a comic. Lasko-Gross' first two graphic novels were Escape from "Special" and A Mess of Everything, both published by Fantagraphics. The first, based loosely on the author's life growing up as a Jewish girl in the suburbs, was published in 2008 and earned her a nomination for YALSA's 2008 Great Graphic Novel award. A Mess of Everything, a sequel of sorts to her first book, was also well received, as it was named one of Booklist's top 10 graphic novels of the year in 2010. Lasko-Gross' graphic novel Henni, about "cute animals and religious fundamentalism in a horrible, twisted marriage", was published by Z2 Comics in 2015. She is working on a long-term novel project that chronicles the experience of a burn victim of an explosion.