Smile: For The Camera Continues the Acclaimed Horror Franchise With a Compelling New Story

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A key trait of successful franchises is how easily the core idea can be adapted. A great example is John McClane, the action hero from the Die Hard movies. Because he’s such a well-developed character, the story can essentially put him in any situation and it still works.

The core idea behind the “Smile” entity – a demonic force that possesses people, leading them to commit suicide while smiling and then passing the curse on to anyone they smile at before dying – is flexible and could work in many different scenarios. A potential sequel, Smile 2, could explore how celebrities often hide personal struggles behind forced smiles, maintaining a public facade despite private difficulties.

The premise – a celebrity driven to madness by a demon, but unable to connect with anyone due to the superficiality of her life – is incredibly compelling. We’re seeing similar themes explored in the new comic book, Smile: For the Camera, which is also set within the artificial world of fashion.

The first issue of Smile: For the Camera, created by writer Hannah Rose May, artist Miriana Puglia, colorist Dearbhla Kelly, and letterer Brian Kolek, immediately transports readers to 2005. The issue’s clever credits page is designed like a MySpace profile from that era, introducing us to the world of fashion models and the mysterious Smile entity.

How do we meet the Smile entity?

The first issue of this series focuses heavily on establishing the terrifying presence of the ‘Smile’ entity and its impact on a group of models in New York City. Because of this slow burn approach, the first instance of horror needed to be particularly impactful, and Miriana Puglia and Dearbhla Kelly deliver a truly memorable and chilling death scene.

Okay, so the movie starts with me on a flight back to New York, and this flight attendant gives me seriously bad vibes – he’s just smiling way too much. Turns out, he’s the one being messed with by that creepy Smile monster, and it eventually drives him to do something awful. We don’t actually see it happen, but the aftermath? Man, it’s truly terrifying. Like, seriously messed up.

A man tragically walked into a jet engine, and the characters Puglia and Kelly are tasked with describing the aftermath. The scene is handled delicately; the comic can’t actually show the graphic details of his injuries. Instead, the artists cleverly suggest the horror through implication and visual storytelling, achieving a powerful and disturbing effect without being overly graphic.

How does this comic book describe different “deals with the devil”?

The story begins with a character who knows about ‘Smile,’ but the main character, Ivy, is a fresh face – a new model who moves to New York City to pursue her career.

May immediately introduces the idea that there’s more than one kind of “devil” in this comic. There’s the literal demon, Smile, but also the figurative “devil” the aspiring models bargain with to succeed. Ivy even realizes her contract is a bad deal as she signs it, but after coming so far, she questions whether she’ll back out now that she’s in New York City.

May is at her best in this comic issue because she understands the importance of making us connect with the characters before the Smile entity targets them. She dedicates the rest of the story to thoroughly exploring the lives of Noa, Freja, Lena, and Ivy. While Cami, the first to be affected by the Smile, is important to the plot, she primarily serves as a plot device rather than a fully developed character.

This first issue primarily focuses on Ivy, Noa, Freja, and Lena, and the author, May, skillfully weaves together their individual stories. It explores the challenges faced by models – things like ambition, exploitation, and intense competition – and introduces Ivy to this world, showing how she adapts coming from a more grounded background. There’s also the added mystery of a ‘Smile’ entity being introduced into the mix.

The issue ends with Cami’s shocking death, which sets the stage for the entity to jump between different people. It’s good that the author spent so much time developing the characters beforehand, because their deaths will now be much more meaningful. Puglia and Kelly have done a great job designing each character with unique appearances, allowing us to quickly become familiar with them before the violence starts.

Smile offers a captivating mix of characters set against a truly frightening background, making for a compelling horror experience.

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2026-03-01 02:16