As a massive fan of the Smile feature films as well as writer Hannah Rose May, Smile: For the Camera was a must-read. Needless to say my expectations for this new comic series were high and if the first issue is anyway to judge, this is going to be one hell of a series.
Pose. Vogue. Couture. Gore.
It’s Fashion Month 2005. Five young international models have just landed in New York City, ready to tackle four grueling weeks of runways, press, and cameras as they try to make it big. The girls become fast friends…until one seems to crack under the pressure. Little does everyone know that she is afflicted by the entity, a being bent on destruction and pain as it seeks to destroy lives through its horrific visions.
Adapting a film into comic can be a daunting task, but I also feel adding to the lore of a film series in comic form can sometimes have a steeper hill to climb. You have to hit certain points to make sure those fans of the movies will even want to read the comic, while also making the comic feel like a comic as well as give off a cinematic edge to it. May, along with artist Miriana Puglia, handle this task with ease.
Like the films, Smile: For the Camera focuses around a new set of characters, a new theme, and new deaths. This time around, based in 2005, the horror story revolves around fashion models unknowingly are stuck with an entity that looks to destroy lives.
May knows horror stories, but is also the perfect person to tackle this story because she also has had experience in the modeling world. She blends the real-world of the modeling industry with the fictitious horrors of the world of Smile. There are plenty of creepy horror moments with gruesome kills that steal the show, but it’s the gross horrors of behind-the-scenes modeling that struck a cord with me as well.
The biggest thing to me was how much this felt like Parker Finn world he created, but through the lens of a different writer. Has all the things we love about what makes the Smile films so amazing, while also allowing May to stretch her legs a bit and give us a taste of how she writes horror. Its exactly what you’d hope for when seeing films come to comics.
Miriana Puglia, along with colorist Dearbhla Kelly deliver artwork that has is beautiful, yet with an edge and grit to it. Puglia illustrations make the horrors jump from the page epically the first kill which was a sight to be seen. This art team pairs well with May’s script, giving Smile: For the Camera a truly cinematic feel.
Writer Hannah Rose May and artist Miriana Puglia bring the Smile: For the Camera mythos to the world of comics with style. The premiere issue might be filled with more tension than jump scares, but still gives off similar vibes to the feature films created by Parker Finn while carving its own path. A horrifying and compelling expansion to the Smile films.
Smile: For the Camera #1 hits local comic shops on February 18, 2026 from the IDW Dark imprint at IDW Publishing.