MISRYOUM recommends Cecile Pin’s “Celestial Lights” and the Image Comics premiere “If Destruction Be Our Lot,” mixing a contemplative Europa mission story with a darkly funny series about an Abraham Lincoln robot and the chaos of a bus ride.
This weekend’s reading list leans into the big, the strange, and the emotionally heavy.. There’s Cecile Pin’s short. contemplative “Celestial Lights. ” a novel that uses space as a backdrop for memory and consequences—then pivots to a brand-new Image Comics series. “If Destruction Be Our Lot. ” where an Abraham Lincoln robot’s life purpose collides with a bus ride gone wrong.
“Celestial Lights” comes from Henry Holt and Co.. It follows Oliver Ines. also known as Ollie. who has always been drawn to the stars—until he’s chosen to lead a 10-year mission to one of Jupiter’s moons. Europa.. The story doesn’t play like a quick dash toward discovery and danger.. Instead. it hops through time. tracing Ollie’s memories and weaving in mission logs as he moves from one chapter of his life to the next.. While space exploration is part of the book, it’s not the kind of read aimed at adrenaline or adventure.. The blurb describes it as “A portrait of a complicated man and a breathtaking tale of memory. personal choices. and the relationships that define us.”
For something with a sharper edge and a comic-book punch. Image Comics’ “If Destruction Be Our Lot” arrives with its first issue coming out at the beginning of the month.. The premise is instantly memorable: the main character is an absurdly iconic Abraham Lincoln robot whose role appears to be regurgitating quotes from the 16th president of the US.. He’s not alone—he’s one of countless robots still running decades after humans have gone extinct—but the series frames him as different from most of the droids around him.. With his original, human-assigned purpose suddenly moot, he’s left wrestling with what the meaning of his life is now.
That question is tested when things go awry during a bus ride one day.. The vehicle is “Abe’s autonomously driving friend. Bus. ” and when the trip doesn’t go as expected. his world seems to expand—“for better or worse.” The premiere issue also leans on visuals and tone: the art style and overall feel are described as darkly funny. while still carrying a serious streak.. Writers Mark Elijah and Matthew Rosenberg team up with artist Andy MacDonald for a debut that’s called super promising.
The stories line up in an interesting way through their central setup: Ollie’s 10-year Europa mission in “Celestial Lights” is structured around time-jumps. memories. and mission logs. while Abe’s robot life in “If Destruction Be Our Lot” is structured around a purpose that stops making sense—then gets disrupted during a bus ride that pushes his world outward again.
If you want a weekend that starts with reflection and ends with a punch of dark comedy, both picks meet the moment—one through a complicated portrait of ambition and consequence across years, the other through a sudden, rule-bending disruption that turns a post-human routine into something bigger.
MISRYOUM Celestial Lights Cecile Pin Henry Holt and Co Europa mission Jupiter moon Europa Image Comics If Destruction Be Our Lot Abraham Lincoln robot Mark Elijah Matthew Rosenberg Andy MacDonald