Advance Review: Abe Lincoln Hits Rock Bottom In ‘If Destruction Be Our Lot’ #4
by Tom Smithyman
Overview
The story in this issue gets dragged down a bit as the main character suffers through a crisis. But even when it’s not at its strongest, this excellent series impresses — particularly with stellar artwork.
Overall
9/10If you had trouble believing Abraham Lincoln was a vampire hunter, good luck imagining him as a junkie.
Yet that is where we find the 16th president — or the robot version of him anyway, which serves as the protagonist in the excellent If Destruction Be Our Lot. Abe is despondent over not being able to locate what he believes is the last human. Low on power, the automaton turns to quick hits of power to make him forget.
The move, written by Matthew and Mark Elijah Rosenberg, is not what we expect from one of our greatest leaders. And that is why it works. Abe has hit rock bottom. A shocking splash page by artist Andy MacDonald showing Abe with his sleeves rolled up administering the power boost starts this fourth issue with a shock.
Most of the rest of the issue deals with exploring this sad state of affairs. It doesn’t go on for too long, but it’s enough to drag the entire story down just a bit. The series has been engrossing to date, so if the Rosenberg’s need a few pages to catch their breath — and allow readers to do the same — we’ll allow it. But it does make for a fairly downbeat issue.
Fortunately, MacDonald continues to shine. His Abe is spot on, and his other robotic creatures span the gamut of silly to downright frightening. If the story gets too heavy, the illustrations invite us to escape into this foreign world.
So where does Abe go from here? That’s where the next story arc will take us. The Rosenbergs drop few hints about where things are headed, which makes the future of this series ever more exciting.
If Destruction Be Our Lot #4 — written by Matthew and Mark Elijah Rosenberg, illustrated by Andy MacDonald, colored by Francesco Segala, and lettered by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou — will be available in comic book stores and on digital platforms on Wednesday from Image Comics.
