We read The Day Everything Changed #1, and honestly, the thing that got us was not just the ruined world, the “Sick,” or the general nightmare buffet of post-apocalyptic problems, it was the father and daughter dynamic. John and Sarah trying to survive the end of the world, and yes, we are immediately seated.
This first issue comes from Riffage Media and is based on the post-apocalyptic audio drama created by Lane Fortenberry. You can grab a copy through their online store now. You can also check out the original Kickstarter campaign for more background on the project.
The Day Everything Changed #1
Publisher / Studio: Riffage Media
Writer: Lane Fortenberry
Artist: Matías De Vincenzo
Letterer: Marina Leon
What Is The Day Everything Changed About?
The Day Everything Changed follows John and Sarah, a former journalist and his teenage daughter, as they travel through the Northeastern United States years after an event called The Blast changed everything. The world is dangerous, trust is basically extinct, and there are threats called the Sick, which already sounds like something you do not want showing up while you are just trying to find somewhere safe to sleep.
Issue #1 introduces John and Sarah as they search for sanctuary and cross paths with other survivors. And because this is the end of the world, “other survivors” does not automatically mean “new friends.” Sometimes it means “great, here comes another moral disaster with legs.”
That is one of the things I liked most about the issue. The world is dangerous, but the people feel just as dangerous. Maybe more.
The Father-Daughter Dynamic Is the Best Part
The heart of this issue is absolutely John and Sarah.
I loved their father-daughter dynamic. That is what made the comic work for me more than anything else. John is clearly trying to protect Sarah, but the book does not make it feel like a simple “dad with a weapon protects daughter from monsters” situation.
They feel tired. They feel scared. They feel like people who have been living too long in a world that keeps asking them to make awful choices. But there is still love there, and that gives the issue its emotional weight.
Post-apocalyptic stories need that kind of emotional center. Otherwise, it is just dirty jackets, empty roads, suspicious canned food, and someone inevitably saying, “We have to keep moving.”
The Real Horror Is People Being People
What I also liked is how believable the human behavior feels. Not believable in a calm, comforting way. More in a “yes, this is exactly how people would start acting and that is depressing” way.
The issue understands that when the world falls apart, the monsters are not the only problem. People get scared. People get selfish. People protect their own. People justify things. Some people are trying to survive, and some people are absolutely using survival as an excuse to become the worst version of themselves. That felt very real to me.
The “Sick” are clearly a major threat, and the world after The Blast has plenty of danger built into it, but I was just as interested in the way survivors looked at each other. The tension between people is what gave the issue its bite.
Because honestly, if the apocalypse happens, I do not think the biggest problem is going to be the monsters. It is going to be some guy named Rick who suddenly thinks he is the mayor of a gas station.
The Art Gives the World Personality
I also really liked the art by Matías De Vincenzo. There is something bold about the character work that immediately gives the comic personality. The proportions feel slightly exaggerated in a way that almost reads cartoony at times, but not in a silly way. More like the characters have sharp, expressive shapes that make them stand out right away. That worked for me.
Post-apocalyptic comics can sometimes blur together visually, especially when everything is just dirt, ruins, brown jackets, and sad people staring into the distance. Here, the art gives the world a little more identity. The characters feel expressive, the tension is easy to read, and the slightly bolder style helps the issue avoid looking like every other end-of-the-world survival story.
I also liked how the art handles the human moments. The danger matters, of course, but the expressions and body language between John and Sarah are what made the issue connect for me. Their relationship needs to work visually, and it does.
For Readers Who Like Their Apocalypse Personal
If you liked Bleeding Hearts or The Walking Dead, this is probably one to keep on your radar too.
They are not the same kind of story, but they scratch a similar itch: apocalypse fiction where the horror is not just the infected, the ruined world, or the survival mechanics. It is the people. The choices. The relationships under pressure. The very fun little reminder that humanity might be the real jump scare.
The Coven’s Verdict
The Day Everything Changed #1 is a strong first issue with a tense post-apocalyptic hook and a father-daughter relationship that gives the story real emotional weight.
What worked most for us was how human the danger felt. Yes, there are the Sick. Yes, the world is broken. Yes, survival is clearly a nightmare. But the scariest part is still watching people behave exactly like people would behave when everything goes wrong.
Terrible. Desperate. Protective. Suspicious. Sometimes brave. Sometimes deeply stupid.
We have not listened to the original audio drama yet, but this comic made us curious, which is one of the best things an adaptation can do. If you like post-apocalyptic stories with family dynamics, tense survivor encounters, and people making morally questionable choices in ruined places, The Day Everything Changed #1 is worth checking out.
The Kickstarter campaign is over, but the project reached its goal, and copies are now available through the online store.
FAQ
Who created The Day Everything Changed? The Day Everything Changed was created and written by Lane Fortenberry, with art by Matías De Vincenzo and lettering by Marina Leon.
What is The Day Everything Changed about? The story follows John and Sarah, a former journalist and his teenage daughter, as they travel through a post-apocalyptic Northeastern United States after an event called The Blast changed the world.
Can you still buy The Day Everything Changed #1 after Kickstarter? Yes. The Kickstarter campaign has ended, but copies are now available through the project’s online store.
How many issues are planned? The Kickstarter campaign says the full story is planned across four issues, covering the first season of the audio drama.
Who should read The Day Everything Changed #1? Readers who enjoy post-apocalyptic comics, father-daughter survival stories, tense survivor drama, and worlds where people are often more frightening than the monsters should check this one out.
