Do Not Disturb - Review
- Blake Donaldson
- 6 hours ago
- 2 min read
Publisher: Invader Comics
Release date: February 11th, 2026
Writer: David R. Flores and Jarod Hunter Roe
Artist: David R. Flores
Colorist: Lorenzo Scaramella
Letterer: Letter Squids
Editor: Barnett Brettler
PRICE: $6.99
REVIEW
Private investigator Randall Halsey could really use some friends to be there for him right now because it has definitely not been his day, his week, his month, or even his year. All he’s got instead is a missing young woman and enough cynicism to fill the lobby of The Argyle Hotel where she was last seen. The only thing Randall wants to do is help people, people like the missing Veronica whose parents are worried sick about her, and he won’t let anything stand in his way. Not even being killed mid-investigation.
Do Not Disturb is the definition of an underdog story. Storytellers David R Flores and Jarod Hunter Roe do an admirable job of bringing the hard-boiled gumshoe archetype of the 1920s and ‘30s into the modern age and making him a protagonist you can’t help but root for. Randall is a depressed skeptic with no wife, no kids, no friends, and no career accomplishments to speak of, but he refuses to stop fighting. Even at his weakest point, emotionally and physically (the guy is literally dead before the issue is halfway over), his resolve is only stronger in the face of it. His need to solve the mystery of Veronica’s disappearance and his own murder isn’t just rooted in getting answers or seeing justice served, the guy just so desperately needs a win, any win, so that he can feel like his life had meaning, even if it’s already over. While the idea of someone solving their own murder from beyond the grave isn’t exactly new, Flores and Roe resurrect the concept with an incredibly effective time-traveling twist. Spirits aren’t the only thing haunting The Argyle Hotel, but echoes of the past itself.
On top of co-writing, Flores also does a stellar job on art duties, especially with his expressive character work. Even without Letter Squids’ dynamic lettering, you’d have no trouble reading the emotions any character is feeling at any given time. The real star of this book though is Lorenzo Scaramella’s vibrant color palette. The masterful juxtaposition of opposing colors splashed across every page is a visual treat throughout that adds electricity to every scene whether there’s any action in it or not.
Do Not Disturb is a masterclass in how a talented creative team firing on all cylinders can hook readers in the first issue and keep them on the case until the mystery is solved.
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