Matthew Rosenberg (If Destruction Be Our Lot...)

In this episode of The Writers Panel, host Ben Blacker welcomes comic book writer Matthew Rosenberg to discuss his new Image Comics series, If Destruction Be Our Lot, a post-apocalyptic story about robots inheriting Earth after humanity's extinction, centered on an animatronic Abraham Lincoln on a quest for purpose. Rosenberg reveals the book's origins in a haunting image of Lincoln wandering empty New York City streets during the pandemic, and details his unique 50-50 co-writing process with his brother Mark, emphasizing brutal honesty and creative tension as strengths. The conversation explores the challenges of balancing character-driven storytelling with high-concept premises, the evolution of the story from a six-issue plan to a sprawling 20-issue arc, and Rosenberg's philosophy that character connection matters more than plot or spectacle. He reflects on his own body of work, including Four Kids Walk into a Bank and the upcoming film adaptation, and shares insights on collaboration, adaptation, and the changing landscape of comics. The episode closes with Rosenberg recommending recent favorites like the series Pluribus, the graphic novel The Smell of Starving Boys, and the absurdist comic Mr. Boop.