In this review of Smile: For The Camera #1, we’re introduced to the SurFACE agency and a few of its models. But one of them soon finds that her time may be up soon…
Smile For The Camera #1
Writer: Hannah Rose May
Artist: Miriana Puglia
Main Cover: Skylar Patridge
Variant Covers: Becky Cloonan, Kevin Wada, Martin Simmonds
Page Count: 36 pages
Release Date: February 18, 2026
This review contains spoilers
As Smile For The Camera #1 begins, it’s 2005. We’re first introduced to Cami, having taken a flight to NYC. At one point, she glances out the window and sees this guy flash her a smile that’s perhaps a bit too wide for comfort…before he jumps into the plane’s engine.
The scene shifts to another woman. Her name is Ivy, and she’s just signed on with SurFACE. She brings her stuff into the apartment, introduces herself to the others, and they’re all called to meet with their boss Purple.
During the meeting, as Purple explains the importance of Spring Fashion Month, Cami shows up. They’re all expected to go to a party that night, and it turns out that Cami may be finished as a model if she doesn’t get a cover gig.
On the way to the party, Cami sees another creepily-smiling figure, reminding her that her time’s almost up. Nobody else sees them.
At the party, we learn more about the models and some of the big shots in the fashion industry. And some of these big shots give off some red flags.
Cami has another creepy grin sighting (and a bit of a coke habit), and Ivy’s asked to meet one of the guys from the party for tea. She’s reluctant, but is urged to do it anyway. This guy—Perry—is trying to push himself on her, so she throws some of the hot tea at him before leaving.
But he still insists on working with her, as Ivy finds out the next day, after a successful runway show (though Freja and Cami aren’t involved).
As the group returns to their apartment, though, they hear a scream from Freja. They rush to investigate, only to find Cami dead. One of those creepy rictus grins crossing her face.
Going right into Smile For The Camera #1, I’m a fan of the Smile movies in general, so to find out that there was a comic prequel to it coming out? I was definitely eager to read this one.
The artist truly nailed the unnerving quality of the smiling figures that a victim sees before they die. My favorite instance of that smile? The old lady that echos Purple’s “Old Yeller” comment. Not only is there that grin, but when coupled with warnings about someone’s time almost being up, it takes on a more freakish quality. But the highlight of that panel is what we see on one of the buildings: the Smile Entity’s face. I’d almost missed that when reading through, but on the second look, I noticed it.
With the setting of this addition to the series being the fashion world (particularly in an era before anyone started to listen to women about professional creeps), Smile For The Camera #1 gets to explore all sorts of horrific situations. We’ve got the more blatant and extreme horrors, like the whole curse that runs through this whole series, and every death that results from it.
But then we’ve also got the abuses inherent in the fashion industry. When the models are lined up for photos and an inspection, there’s one lady studying Cami with a wide, creepy grin. It was a little hard for me to determine for sure if that was just a loads-of-plastic-surgery grin or one of the unnatural grins. Which honestly works for this series.
Also, what’s mentioned about the contract when Ivy signs it is that it’s extremely controlling. A model under that contract has to maintain a certain look to remain employed there (and God Forbid she change her hairstyle!). They’re expected to work with any client they’re asked to, no matter how uncomfortable they make her. And given that for most people, “scalding hot liquid being thrown at me” would count as a definite “NO!”…I think Perry might be slightly more threatening than the curse itself.
The curse itself just breaks someone psychologically until they self-terminate and pass it on to anyone that happens to see it. But a rich guy with some pull in the industry one works in? That could honestly lead to very much the same thing, though he’d still probably be celebrated for it by some circles.
It was pretty clear, story-wise, that Cami wasn’t going to be the overall protagonist for this one. She got a lot of focus, but in those opening pages of Smile For The Camera #1, she was marked for death the moment Engine Guy looked at her. Ivy’s the one that ends up taking the Main Character rank.
From what I’m seeing so far with Smile For The Camera #1, it’s looking like the curse is going to work its way through all of the models eventually. Freja’s probably next, given that she and Cami were the only ones in that apartment when Cami died. The chances that Freja witnessed said death are strong.
It’s looking so far like Ivy will end up being the overall Final Girl here. But will she get out of it without witnessing a curse-induced suicide, thereby becoming the first main character to survive? Only time will tell, and I anticipate the next installment eagerly.
Final Thoughts
Between the curse and the fashion industry itself, Smile For The Camera #1 brings enough freakishness to bring a SMILE to any horror fan’s face.
