THE DAY EVERYTHING CHANGED - MY INTERVIEW WITH LANE FORTENBERRY

One of the creators associated with the podcast network, Riffage Media, plans to publish a four-issue comic book series based on their flagship science fiction audio drama, 'The Day Everything Changed'. Or to be more specific about it, based on the first season of their audio drama, which revolves around two broken families in search of sanctuary by navigating through a post-apocalyptic world threatened by 'sick' and other deadly scavengers. The first issue will be released in spring 2026, and the remaining three will be published soon after that. What now follows is a quick Q and A with the writer of the aforementioned series, Lane Fortenberry. Please enjoy.





1) Name three words that best describe who you are.   I'd say, chill, introvert, and creative.

2) What inspired you to create your audio drama, 'The Day Everything Changed'?   It has always been my desire to tell a story about a family trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world. I love exploring these stark environments, and with my love of stories like 'The Road', '28 Days Later', 'Fallout', 'The Last of Us', and 'Contagion', writing one seemed natural to me.

3) In your own words, how would you describe your story?   It's a story about families trying to make the best of a bad situation. While the world is crumbling around them, they have to cope with loss, find a new home, and fight to stay alive.

4) What song would you say best represents the comic book version and why?   To answer this question, I'd like to select 'Nora' by the metalcore band, The Devil Wears Prada, as they've released two different EPs centered around the zombie apocalypse, and I listened to them both while writing 'The Day Everything Changed'. 'Nora' is about a person who struggled during the apocalypse, much like one of the characters in my story, Sarah.

5) If you could get a celebrity - either living or dead - to promote your wares, who would you choose, and why would you want to choose this particular person?   I'd choose the actor, Walton Goggins, just because I've seen him do so much press for some of the television series he's starred in, such as 'Fallout', 'The Righteous Gemstones', and 'The White Lotus'. So, from my point of view, I'd say he definitely knows how to promote and speak about post-apocalyptic stories, similar to the one I've created.

6) What's the one thing about 'The Day Everything Changed' that might surprise people?   Well, I've told this story three different ways, which may be surprising to some. It started as a film script, then I adapted it into an audio drama, and now it has been turned into a comic book series.

'The Day Everything Changed' is a four-issue comic book series written by Lane Fortenberry, illustrated by Matías De Vincenzo, and lettered by Marina Leon. The audio version was released in 2021 and has recently completed its third season. All episodes are available to listen to for free on most major podcast platforms, including Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and have reached over 200,000 total downloads. For further information, please feel free to visit the official website.