Who You Gonna Brawl? Chew Creators John Layman and Rob Guillory Reunite for Ghostbrawler

When writer John Layman and artist Rob Guillory get together, you know the results are going to be memorable. Previously, the duo collaborated on the Eisner Award-winning detective series Chew, which is now being adapted as a live-action show at Blumhouse Productions and Atomic Monster. Now they're reuniting for an equally quirky new project, a supernatural action/comedy series called Ghostbrawler. Yes, it's about a guy who punches ghosts.

With the crowdfunding campaign for Ghostbrawler now live, IGN can exclusively debut a new preview of the series. Check it out in the slideshow gallery below:

Ghostbrawler will be serialized by Image Comics in 2027. However, fans have the chance to experience the story early thanks to the Kickstarter campaign. Layman and Guillory are crowdfunding Ghostbrawler: Brusier Edition, which features the series' opening storyline in a unique black, blue, and white color scheme.

Here's the official summary for Ghostbrawler:

In GHOSTBRAWLER, Joey is a good-hearted musclehead from the neighborhood who’s always been unlucky, born behind the eight ball. After a fatal punch in the ring leaves him dead, he returns with the ability to see and physically interact with ghosts and other supernatural beings.

Now he’s the guy you call when your house, church, or graveyard is infested with spirits—clearing them out the only way he knows how: with muscles and knuckles. But the jobs don’t pay, and Joey is buried under mob debt, woman trouble, a very dead overbearing mother, territorial occultists, Vatican scrutiny, and the guilt of having accidentally killed his best friend, whom he’s desperate to make peace with.

“Ghostbrawler is our love letter to Chew fans," Guillory tells IGN. "It’s been years since John and I collaborated on anything, and I’m always amazed that readers not only remember us fondly, but still clamor for us to get the band back together. So Ghostbrawler was the natural fit for our reunion. It’s hard-hitting and irreverent with a big freaking heart. And I think old fans and new fans will love it.”

Details

"We’re looking forward to getting this book out into the world, and this black & blue Ghostbrawler: Bruiser Edition gives fans a way to get in on the ground floor and help ensure we get a smooth launch when the regular full-color ongoing series debuts from Image in early 2027," Layman says. "This Bruiser Edition is going to be a cool and completely unique keepsake, visually distinct from its ongoing counterpart, and we are doing everything we can to make this as awesome as humanly possible, while offering options for every budget."

For more, check out IGN's original review of Chew #1.

Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.