I hope you’re ready for one of the most creative and incredibly rich comics of the year, because If Destruction Be Our Lot is something that positively needs to be on your radar. This new series comes from Image Comics and Ashcan Press from writer Matthew Rosenberg (4 Kids Walk into a Bank, We Can Never Go Home). Rosenberg is joined by fellow writer Mark Elijah Rosenberg and artist Andy MacDonald, with Francesco Segala on colors and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou on letters. It’s a solid team for what I’m telling you is an incredibly compelling story.
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If Destruction Be Our Lot is set in centuries in the future. Humanity is gone, and the Earth’s dominant species are the various machines they left behind. Autonomous and artificially intelligent, these robots simply try to fulfill their intended purpose and go about their day-to-day lives. Including Abe, a robotic replica of Abraham Lincoln, who finds himself questioning what the point of life is if the absence of humanity has rendered every machine useless. This is a great set-up, and the comic’s satire and heart all come together for one of 2026’s best new stories.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
| PROS | CONS |
| Incredible premise | A little bit too long |
| Fantastic artwork | Slightly too much for one issue |
If Destruction Be Our Lot Gives Us the Introspective Robotic Abe Lincoln Epic We’ve Been Waiting For
As mentioned, the Rosenbergs and MacDonald’s story takes place several hundred years from now. Abe is an older robot who’s looked down on by most of this new autonomous society because of his limited capabilities and his human-like qualities. Abe’s only real friend is Bus, a sentient conveyance still driving her old route despite having no people to transport. It isn’t until they come across a border of the incredibly advanced city and take a look outside that they realize there’s more to life than just doing what they were designed to do.
So Abe and Bus decide to break from their usual tasks of reciting historical speeches and adhering to strict transportation schedules. They embark on a new route to do new things and see new sights, one of which shocks the hell out of the two when they come across a human girl, the first seen in 87 years. Hell breaks loose when Abe and Bus crash and attempt to report their find to the authorities. Not only do the authorities know humans exist, but they’re wiping the minds of any robot that discovers it, including Bus.
This Book Takes a Wild Swing and It 1000% Works
I have been a big fan of Matthew Rosenberg since 4 Kids Walk Into a Bank, and that was enough for me to read this book completely blind. Within minutes, I was on board with what he and the rest of the creative team were cooking up here. I love everything about the narrative here. In an age where AI is facing massive backlash, there’s something to be said about how well the story makes us empathize with characters like Abe. Then again, he does have the face of one of the most trusted U.S. Presidents.
I think what I love is how the writing team manages to balance subtle jokes with deeper introspective topics. The book will mention that humans haven’t been around for 87 years, a hilarious nod to Lincoln’s most famous speech, then use that as a means to discuss topics like our place in the world, the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence, and the late stages of capitalism. The book throws a lot in its first issue, and while I think some stuff probably could have been saved for the second, I liked how the narrative was handled.
I also really enjoyed MacDonald’s art here. From the sickly, yet advanced dystopia the robots are living in to the brief glimpses of the world beyond, everything just looks so nice. Even the terrifying ‘Eaters’ that hunt and consume innocent robots practically pop right off the page (no doubt thanks to Segala’s colors). The colors also play a fantastic role in switching up the intensity of the scene. As someone who struggles with identifying what makes for good visuals, I could really appreciate what the artist and colorist did here, and I’m eager to see more.
If Destruction Be Our Lot has a great premise. A robot Abe Lincoln stumbling upon a massive conspiracy. But it’s way more than just a wacky setup. The creative team has crafted a truly human story about curiosity, breaking from social patterns that bind us, and searching for inner fulfillment. I don’t think everyone’s going to like this book, but I think that there is something really special about this title, and for those who give this one a chance, I think you’ll see what I’m talking about.
What did you think about If Destruction Be Our Lot #1? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts on the ComicBook Forum!
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Courtesy of Sony Pictures Animation / McDonald's -
Courtesy of Sony Pictures Animation / McDonalds -
Image Courtesy of HIDIVE
