If you’re a fan of the horror genre, then you’ve likely been having a good decade or so. It doesn’t matter if you’re into psychological thrillers, slasher flicks, or films with jump scares. There’s something out there for you. And not just movies and TV shows. If you like horror and comic books, then you’ve been in heaven.
Comic book companies like Image, Boom! Studios, and Mad Cave have been producing a ton of horror series. Among them are titles like The Devil That Wears My Face by David Pepose, The Me You Love in the Dark (Skottie Young), and Something is Killing the Children (James Tynion). As great as they are, you can’t discount IDW.
IDW Publishing has been producing frightening comic books for decades. The most popular may be 30 Days of Night. Recently, they released another horror comic book based on the popular franchise, Smile. After reading issue No. 1, I can tell you that this will be a must-read.
Before this article continues, this is a trigger warning. There will be a mention of self-harm and self-transitioning.
Two pages into Smile: For the Camera, and you can tell that writer Hannah Rose May (The Exorcism at 1600 Penn and Rogues’ Gallery) and artist Miriana Puglia (Red Sonja Hell Sonja) let readers know that the franchise is in good hands. They don’t just bring in the entity that possesses people. They do boldly with an intense and bloody scene (that you can see here). Then, as the story continues, you see that this isn’t going to be just a gory story.
The story is set in the early 2000s and follows runway models Noa, Freja, Ivy, Lena, and Cami. The latter being the one who was unfortunate enough to catch the “smile disease.” As the issue goes on, you witness the horrible things that women go through thanks to the disgusting men in the modeling industry and some of the cut-throatedness from the models. However, there's also solidarity from their peers.
Grade: A+
You couldn’t have asked for a better first issue. Hannah Rose May stayed true to the source material, but also made it their own by using things like the modeling industry and bringing it back to the past. This will lead to different jargon, technology, and show an era where things weren’t as tolerant.
Meanwhile, Miriana Puglia and Dearbhla Kelly did a fantastic job. For example, with the characters and clothing designs, even if you didn’t know this was set in the early 2000s, you would have picked it up by the clothes. And, when it was time to show the effects of the infection, it was brought in perfectly. Particularly with the older woman saying “tick tock” before the party.
What's next for these characters? Will IDW’s Smile: For the Camera tie into the previous two movies? Honestly, it doesn't matter. If you’re into the Smile franchise, you want to buy these titles when they’re released.
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