Do Not Disturb is a mystery/thriller with a great supernatural twist, set within an infamous hotel called The Argyle. The story follows private investigator Randall Halsey who has been hired to find a missing young woman, only to realize she (and him) have been murdered. Not letting death stand in the way of solving the mystery, Randall has to maneuver through both the human and supernatural worlds that lay within the walls of The Argyle, traveling through time itself to set things right.
Do Not Disturb #1 is a stand out comic that dives right into its concept, not dancing around and building up a mystery. With a story by David R. Flores and Jarod Hunter, the debut issue doesn’t drag things out, instead making it clear what’s going on and using that quick reveal to explore the world and its rules. But, it also keeps its focus, it’s a murder/mystery all about solving whodunnit.
In this debut issue, Flores and Hunter also set up its main character, Randall Halsey, well. They stick to a lot of tropes but we get a good sense of what type of person he is and more importantly, what type of detective he is. This isn’t one where the backstory is dragged out and we find out later his troubles, it’s right there, he was a crap cop turned detective. But, in the revelation, you also feel a little bad for him too. Yeah, he might not be great, but as he sits there looking at his body and the cops and medics attending to him, he has to hear the commentary and thoughts. We’ve all had negative stuff said about us and when you hear it directly, when not intended, it cuts a little deeper. We can relate to Halsey.
The art by Flores is solid. With color by Lorenzo Scaramella and lettering by Letter Squids, the comic has a cool style that’s a bit Michael Avon Oeming mixed with a dayglow coloring that fits well for the afterlife. This isn’t a comic with flashy art going for memorable splash pages and moments, it’s a detective story with a supernatural twist and the comic delivers that perfectly visually.
Do Not Disturb #1 is a solid debut with interesting premise, it doesn’t drag things out, and it delivers a look that’s rather cool engaging. It knows what it is and delivers what you’d expect and stands out due to that.
Story: David R. Flores, Jarod Hunter Roe Art: David R. Flores
Color: Lorenzo Scaramella Letterer: Letter Squids
Story: 8.5 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.5 Recommendation: Buy
Invader Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: Invader Comics
