January 1995. All eyes are on the American Arena League football championship game in St. Augustine, Florida. The Sharks gear up for the most significant event in the AAL’s 20-year history, and Maximillian Dupree—their sudden-star backup quarterback—is feeling the pressure from his teammates, his fans, and his debts to the city’s gambling underworld. A string of suicides hits the community hard, drawing a desperate sports journalist to examine their connection to the big game. No one can trust anything they see as a mind-bending entity and its frightful visions threaten their payouts, their sanity, and their lives… Any Given Smile #1 mixes the horror franchise with “Sunday’s game” bringing even more horror to football.
I’ve never seen any of the Smile movies or read the previous comic the spun off from it. So coming into Any Given Smile #1, I was a blank slate as far as knowledge and expectations. And after reading the first issue, I want to find out more. Written by Stephanie Williams, the comic mixes horror and football as the issue builds towards the big game.
The debut issue is an interesting one, teasing out what’s going on for new readers while fans of the franchise likely have a better idea of what’s going on. Individuals dealing with sports betting are all dying and all have had a contorted smile on their face. Like a virus spread around, the comic feels like it could deliver solid commentary on the proliferation of online sports betting and the damage it causes to far too many individuals.
While the original film focuses on horror through trauma, this series feels like a spin on that, the horror of virality and addiction. Everyone who dies, or is likely to die, feeds off of the addiction of gambling whether they themselves caught in it or serving others who do. It’s an interesting metaphor through horror, something the genre can excel in.
The art by Pablo Collar creates an unease throughout the issue. With color by Triona Farrell and lettering by Ariana Maher, the comic’s visuals and lettering build the general vibe of the comic with visuals teasing the madness going on. This isn’t horror with gore and violence as the draw, instead it’s visuals you can’t trust of formless beings haunting their prey. It’s a comic that builds its tension throughout leaving readers to guess what’s going on and what images they can trust. The lettering by Maher especially stands out not only emphasizing the haunting sounds individuals hear but also very cool visuals with it as well with dialogue featuring scratches out at points.
Any Given Smile #1 is a solid debut that has me intrigued and wanting to learn more, and see and read, what has previously come out. It’s a horror story that feels like it has something to say, a commentary on the current tech push of online gambling and all of the ills that it can lead to. Overall, one that’s well worth checking out if you want horror with some depth to it.
Story: Stephanie Williams Art: Pablo Collar
Color: Triona Farrell Letters: Ariana Maher
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy
IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle
