Any Given Smile #1 – Take One For The Team

As the biggest game in American Arena Football League history takes center stage, a city is on edge. A string of suicides has rattled the city, and journalists are beginning to ask if it is connected to the big game. Maximillian Dupree, the backup-turned-star quarterback, is front and center. Pressured by his teammates, his gambling debts, and the fans, Dupree tries to navigate a world where people can’t trust what they see, as an unknown entity threatens everything. Eisner-nominated writer Stephanie Williams brings horror to the forefront in Any Given Smile. Enjoy this spoiler-free review from Nerd Initiative.

This review is brought to you by Nerd Initiative’s Shawn!

A huge thank you to IDW Publishing for providing this issue for review ahead of the Final Order Cutoff

Final Order Cutoff For Any Given Smile #1 is August 17th, 2026.

Creative Team

Writer: Stephanie Williams
Artist: Pablo M. Collar
Color Artist: Tríona Farrell
Letterer: Ariana Maher
Cover Artist: Ashley Witter

Writing

I’m not quite sure what the comic-writing equivalent of a sophomore slump is, but it’s clear in Stephanie Williams’ first major post-Eisner-Nomination work that it won’t be an issue for her. Any Given Smile #1 pulls you in right from the word go. By the end of this issue, I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck beginning to stand up. Williams perfectly executes the shift into the world of Smile by crafting a world that slowly reveals itself. While it’s great if you’re familiar with the Smile franchise ahead of reading, Williams crafts this issue in a way that doesn’t necessitate you having any familiarity with the franchise.

While Williams, in my experience, has been one of the most character-first writers in comics, Any Given Smile stands out in the way that she makes the town feel like a character itself. Whether it’s a call-in show, talking heads on TV, or just conversations at the bar, Williams really helps communicate to the reader how big this event is. Even if you have limited sports knowledge, Williams ensures you understand how monumental this championship game could be for St. Augustine. In addition to the city as a character, Williams continues her tradition of crafting compelling and realistic characters even in a horror story. While nothing major is revealed in this issue, Williams still manages to slide a few twists and surprises into Any Given Smile # 1, making it a page turner that you need on your pull list.

Art

Pablo M. Collar, Tríona Farrell, and Ariana Maher really took Williams’ script and ran with it. Collar’s line work perfectly helps set the mood of the story from the first panel. However, Collar’s work also keeps you on your toes as the tone of the story shifts. There’s a certain ruggedness to the lines, particularly in the cityscapes, that helps reinforce how much this is a city not only in need of something like this championship game, but also a city on edge. The characters are drawn expressively, and the “smiles” are truly terrifying, crawling off the page and into your mind. The shading alone on the smile pages is so well done that this comic would work if it were black and white.

Tríona Farrell really kills it with colors in this debut issue. Farrell nails the bright, vibrant Florida colors of St. Augustine. It’s precisely how well the cityscapes are colored that helps provide such an amazing contrast as you slip further and further into the darkness of the story. Farrell beautifully plays on the bright colors of the city and the dark colors of the curse, masterfully pitting them against each other in panel after panel, creating a drastic contrast between the optimism of the city and the darkness brewing underneath. Through the comic, letterer Ariana Maher helps capture the eerie vibe not only through well-crafted word bubbles but also through particularly well-placed SFX. The content of a Smile horror series in particular gives Maher a whole new sandbox to play in and show off her skills.

Final Thoughts

Any Given Smile #1 is a touchdown right out of the gate. Williams, Collar, Farrell, and Maher are crafting a story that starts so strongly that it may draw readers into the Smile franchise even if they have no clue about it heading into the story. The story draws you in with a dark tone set amidst a town on the verge of an explosion for a championship game, and holds you in your chair with stunning visuals that capture clean and bright as well as rough and dark perfectly. If you’re a fan of horror comics, Any Given Smile #1 deserves a place on your pull list.

Overall Grade: 10 / 10

Thank you again to IDW Publishing for the chance to review this comic ahead of FOC. Final Order Cutoff (FOC) for Any Given Smile #1 is August 17th. You can preorder the series wherever you get your comics.