Writer Matthew Rosenberg joins the show to talk about his new book, If Destruction Be Our Lot…, and his approach to comics overall. Rosenberg discusses hitting podcast row, The Mets, the origins of If Destruction Be Our Lot…, the medium it ended up in, the complexity of Abraham Lincoln, the book’s art team, collaboration, the impact of time and money, its extra sized first issue, the power of character, his promotional efforts, speculation, taking over Spawn and King Spawn, figuring out the right approach for those books, finding the right mix, his public advocacy for comics, and more.

You can find Rosenberg on Bluesky and Instagram and his work in the this week’s If Destruction Be Our Lot… #1.

You can download the episode directly here on Libsyn.

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Want to watch a video version of this interview, albeit mostly unedited? This chat with Matthew Rosenberg is available on the SKTCHD/Off Panel YouTube! Go watch it over there, and if you enjoy it, make sure to subscribe to the channel when you do.

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Thanks to one of the sponsor of this week’s podcast: 2000 AD! America, the Future is calling you – the weekly 2000 AD will hit shelves across the USA this May! This is the comic which discovered Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, Garth Ennis, Al Ewing, DaNi and more – and it’s coming to a shelf near you! 2000 AD has never been available to read weekly in America before, so if you’ve always wanted to try out The Galaxy’s Greatest Comic — now is your chance! Every 32-page issue of 2000 AD brings you the best in sci-fi and horror, and this May will feature new stories like Judge Dredd, Brink, Nightmare New York, The Fall of Deadworld and more. All you need to do is order from your local comic store, and issues of 2000 AD will be available for you to pick up every single week! It’s never been easier to read 2000 AD – so what’re you waiting for, Earthlets? Add 2000 AD to your pull list today.

Thanks to another of the show’s sponsors, Oni Press! Do you feel paranoid? Do strange things happen around you? You’re not alone. If you are reading this, you have been invited to participate in a very special program designed to entertain, enlighten, and enhance your perception of MIND MGMT: NEW & IMPROVED #1 – the first issue of the brand-new beginning for New York Times best-selling writer/artist Matt Kindt’s groundbreaking comic masterpiece arriving on June 24th from Oni Press and Flux House.
Featuring a specialty die-cut cover and 32 pages of content written, drawn, colored, lettered, and designed by Kindt himself, MIND MGMT: NEW & IMPROVED #1 will also feature “OPERATION: BLIND BAG” – a specially manufactured “blind bag” containing one of 15 exclusive, chase, or rare variant covers from Jenna Cha, Jeff Lemire, Jesse Lonergan, Fábio Moon, and more surprise guests. Welcome to Mind MGMT. It’s like you never left. Arriving June 24th from Oni Press and Flux House.

Lastly, thanks to the show’s final sponsor in IDW. IDW has a huge May coming, and it all starts with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Ongoing Compendium, Vol. 1 on May 5^th. It brings readers over 1,000 pages collecting the first 50 issues of IDW’s landmark TMNT run. This is the place to start for new and existing Turtles fans. Then on May 20^th, IDW Crime debuts with Seven Wives #1. Forty-nine witnesses. Seven wives. One dead husband. A murder inside a secluded religious compound kicks off a tense, slow-burn thriller where every answer leads to more secrets and no one is telling the truth. Finally, May 27^th brings Star Trek: Celebrations 2026. It’s an all-star anthology honoring the queer characters of the Star Trek universe, with stories of love, identity, and adventure across the final frontier. Bold, heartfelt, and very Trek. Three books. Three completely different vibes. One very good month for comics, so make sure to hit up your local shop, lock in your pre-orders, and don’t miss out.

Big thanks to all of my existing patrons, including Capes and Tights Podcast, Charles Labiner, Chris Doray, Chris O’Halloran, Chris Palmer, Daniel Kowalczyk, Francis Davis, JP Jordan, Luis Filipe Alves, Luke Pfister, Mike Wazowski, Patrick Bramble, Jackson Hoppey, Kevin Church, Kyle Starks, Brian Hans, Hunter Gorinson, Tony Holdsworth, Alejandro Toro, 5Myllyon, W James, Joe Crohn, Zo Thompson, Brian Garside, Rand Hall, Christopher Landvick, Stephen Tramontana, Gavin O., Robert Negrete, Mr. Spriggs, Robert Pettinato, Tim Leong,  Ethan Spanja, Chris Partin, Ninja Assassin Love Story Webcomic, Mark Florio, Epic Broccoli, Kevin Bankston, Rick Yankosky, Chestin Pullard, Bobby Tomio, RK, Croc_Meow, Eric Palicki, Brodie Duncan, Scott Chua, Paul Lai, Gene Queens, Chad Lawrence, James Ferguson, Tiffany Babb, Nerdy Mewzings Podcast, Ian A., Hassan Thalji, Pinoywonder, Toni DeBoer, Nick Friar, James Shields, Michael DiGiovanni, Pete Ficken, Patrick McGlynn, Jose Perez, Ross Binder, Chris Tanforan, Joey Riccio, Ruben Jackson, Alfa, Keith Friedlander, Adriel Moreland, Garrett Lawton, Jaime Espinoza, Ruben Cantu, Detective 27, JJ Mack, Comic Shop Assistant, Rob Guillory, Justin Pearson, Oliver Sava, P. Sanger, Wilson Garrett, Ben O’Grady, Mark Tweedale, Zack Quaintance, Kazu Kibuishi, Tyler Crook, Patrick Horvath, Omega Slice, John Walsh, Brandon Paul, Aaron Bussey, Simon Birch, Austin Pribble, Sion Owen, Megan Marsden, T.S. Luther, Comic Book Couples Counseling Podcast, Gus, Saunter, Brian, Chris Robinson, David Byrne, Benjamin Wilkins, Chris Hacker, John NeSmith, Jon Auerbach, Dustin Weaver, Brandon Hayman, Aaden Hamann, Faith Erin Hicks, Ben Wroe, Cameron Brown, Jonathan Breen, Charlie Stickney, Tom Drennen, Jeremy Thomas Burke, Jared Schwab, Scott Dunn, Seth Pomeroy, James McEwan, Andrew Leamon, Christina Merkler, Scott Place, Travis Gibb, Darcy Van Poelgeest, Reid Beaman, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Max Wood, Jeremy Lambert, Bryan Stratton, Nir Levie, Jason Hussa, Kieron Gillen, Jonathan Kent-Uritam, Henry Johnston, Dennis Hoffmann, Django Bohren, James Tynion IV, Chris Lankford, Jason Wood, Tom Peachey, Ben Damstedt, Ram V, Nick Walker, Patrick Coyle, Isaac Orin, Klaas Van de Ven, Submet Industries, Jack Mulqueen, Karl Kerschl, Robert Masella, Elsa Charretier, Luc Nakashoji, Scott Haselwood, Bradley Roeder, Carl Choi, Brandon De Pillis, Patrick Brower, Declan Shalvey, Dan Gearino, Atom Freeman, Brian Klein-Q, Nick Bennett, Susana Polo, Reed Hinckley-Barnes, Mario Tiambeng, Robert Wilson IV, Andrew Kurita, Stefan Hull, Phillip Maira, Chris Bachalo, Torunn Grønbekk, FuzBubbles, Christopher Ta, Transmitterdown, Walt’s Comics & Books, Akil Wilson, Alex Dimitropolous, Terry Dodson, Wesley Gift, Shawn Kirkham, Julio Anta, Brett A. Schmidt, Jason Goodmanson, Vita Ayala, Akylle, Phillip Sevy, Al Ewing, David Kelley, Jason Nassi, Adam Bogert, Matthew Taylor, Nick Pitarra, Jacob Sareli, Ford Gilmore, David Baroldy, Nick Hall, Bjorn Basen, John Hendrick, Ian Maxfield, Cliff Chiang, Colin McMahon, Adam Highfill, Fiona Staples, Mark Abnett, Michael Shirley, Tom Barnett, Jim Demonakos, Norbert, James Kaplan, and Mission: Comics and Art in San Francisco. You guys are all the best.

Have a question for Off Panel? You can reach David by email or Bluesky.

Header photo is from James Harren’s cover to If Destruction Be Our Lot… #1. Off Panel’s theme music is an original track by custom music agency Upright T-Rex Music, written and performed specifically for the podcast. A huge thanks to Ross and Cody from Upright T-Rex Music for putting the track together!