After more than a decade since concluding their acclaimed Image Comics series Chew, writer John Layman and artist Rob Guillory are teaming up once again for Ghost Brawler, a supernatural action-comedy that combines boxing, ghosts, and the duo’s signature blend of humor and heart.
Launching first through a Kickstarter-exclusive Black & Blue Founders Edition, Ghost Brawler follows a washed-up boxer who dies in the ring, is revived, and discovers he can physically fight the ghosts he now sees. The result is a story packed with absurd comedy, action, and surprisingly emotional character work.
The Beat spoke with Layman and Guillory about reuniting after Chew, why now felt like the right time to collaborate again, and how Ghost Brawler became the project that finally brought them back together.
DIEGO HIGUERA: We were talking about this a little before, but I want to get into it. After everything you’ve both done post-Chew, what was the specific spark that inspired you to reunite?
JOHN LAYMAN: After Chew, I needed a little bit of a break. I didn’t want to jump into something right away, and I think Rob did. (Chuckles). We probably would have aligned sooner, but the timing was wrong. Rob was always working on Farmhand, and I was working on this or that. Eventually, not only did the stars align, but the timing aligned too. For various reasons, we’d already been talking a lot, and it just kind of came to be.
ROB GUILLORY: John’s right. Following Chew, I immediately wanted to jump into something else together, but it just wasn’t the right time. Looking back, I needed that eight-year span working on Farmhand. It helped me learn how to write comics and manage everything I was building during that series. I came out of Farmhand a better creator with a lot more to offer the partnership. Comics! The Magazine also played a role. We talked about potentially bringing back Chew for the magazine, which sparked some inspiration. Then one Saturday, I was at a farmers’ market when John called and said, “Hey, I’ve got this thing called Ghost Brawler. I think it could be really good for us,” I was completely in shock.
LAYMAN: I also wanted to do something funny again. The world got really dark, and in a lot of ways it still is. I think I came out of that wanting to fight it with humor. I recently did Spawn Kills Every Spawn, which was a lot of fun, but I hadn’t done anything straight-up funny since Chew. It just felt like I wanted to return to that space. Nobody is better suited for it, with me, than Rob. He understands my timing and gets my jokes, such as they are.
HIGUERA: I can only imagine what it was like coming back together after all those years. You were already making jokes before we started recording. What was the creative process like now as both seasoned veterans?
LAYMAN: Part of it is that we never really went away. For business and other reasons, I don’t think there’s been a two-week span in the last ten years when we haven’t been messaging each other. We explored other ideas over the years, but some of them weren’t funny enough. People would have come in expecting Chew, only to say, “Your old stuff was better.” With Ghost Brawler, I wanted to fully commit to something where, if you liked Chew, you’ll like this too.
GUILLORY: It’s funny to think about because Chew was the first ongoing comic I ever worked on. Looking back, I definitely feel much more comfortable now. The creative process is actually pretty simple. I was a fan of John’s writing long before we worked together, so there’s very little I need to worry about on that front. He knows exactly what he’s doing on the page and puts a tremendous amount of work into his scripts. After eight years writing Farmhand, coming back to work with John feels like putting on your favorite old shirt that’s already broken in. I know exactly what we’re doing, and I know it’s going to be fun.
HIGUERA: Don’t you love when fans come back after years and then immediately tell you they liked your old stuff better?
LAYMAN: I don’t think that’ll happen this time. I think people who liked Chew will like this. It’s not exactly the same animal, but they’re cousins. It’s got heart, action, violence, and a lot of humor. You’re still going to feel something, and you’re going to laugh quite a bit.
GUILLORY: That was actually what surprised me when I first started reading the scripts. When John initially pitched it to me and sent over the document, I didn’t really know what I was getting into. It was similar to when I first read the original Chew pitch. My reaction was, “What is this?” It’s just so different from what I’ve read before. Then I read the first script, and what surprised me was how sweet it was. We’ve aged; we have gotten older, some of us more than others.
LAYMAN: Well, that’s a dig. (Laughs).
GUILLORY: Sorry, haha.
HIGUERA: It could be worse. You guys look great.
LAYMAN: Oh, this is a filter, haha.
GUILLORY: We’ve gotten older. We’re in different places in our lives now, and I think Ghost Brawler reflects that. As funny and violent as it is, there’s a surprising amount of heart to it. People are going to compare it to Chew, and that’s understandable, but it really is its own animal.
HIGUERA: I love hearing that because my next question was going to be, “Why punching ghosts?” Hearing John talk about wanting to make something funnier really resonates with me, especially at a time when comics feel like they’re having a huge resurgence. You can see it with the momentum behind independent comics and even the boom happening at Image right now.
That’s why it’s so refreshing to hear that you both approached this project with the goal of making something fun, cool, and genuinely heartfelt. It sounds like the book has a real sense of kindness at its core, and I’m excited to see how readers respond to that because I think people are looking for stories that can balance humor, action, and heart.
LAYMAN: It’s definitely a little less cynical than Chew. A lot of the characters in Chew were jerks, you know, for humor, and that was part of the comedy. This time, I’m writing a protagonist who’s actually a nice guy. He’s warmhearted. He helps kids. He helps puppies. Maybe I just need that kind of character to get through the day.
HIGUERA: As you’re writing together, your collaborations often blend humor with violence. How do you decide the tone of Ghost Brawler, making it funny, intense, and emotionally engaging all at once?
LAYMAN: A lot of that comes down to Rob’s art. A different artist could play this much harder, and some artists could push it way more toward the silly side. Rob is really good at finding that balance. That’s what made Chew work, and it’s a big part of what makes this work too.
HIGUERA: The Kickstarter-exclusive Black & Blue Founders Edition. Why launch with that version first rather than wait for the full-color publisher release?
LAYMAN: To pay for it, really. When we did Chew, Rob was a 25-year-old kid with no kids and no mortgage. Comics were cheaper to produce, and it was easier to get something off the ground. Things have gotten more expensive. In a way, we’re asking Chew fans to help us guarantee that this book gets made. The Founders Edition is going to feel almost like a trailer for the entire first arc. We’re including all of issue one, a scene from issue two, and an entire short story from issue three. Readers aren’t just getting a preview of the first issue. They’re getting a preview of what’s coming next while helping us launch the project. On top of that, they’re getting what is arguably a cooler collectible than the eventual first issue.
GUILLORY: That’s really it in a nutshell. Times have changed. When we started Chew, I was in my early twenties, newly married, and had no kids. I could survive on a shoestring budget while putting together that first arc. That’s one of the biggest challenges of creator-owned comics: figuring out how to get that first arc completed without losing your house. This gives readers a chance to actively help make the book happen. If they like what we’re doing, they can come along for the ride and play a role in getting it off the ground.
I also think the book itself is going to be amazing. If we learned anything from Chew, oddly enough, Image is in the middle of this big speculator boom, which is oddly reminiscent of when Chew came out in 2009, and so I know we have a market of people who want special things you cant find anywhere else. I am also a big fan of that. So if I know one thing, it’s that readers love special collectibles. This project is designed to give them exactly that.
LAYMAN: Chew developed a lot of collectibility over time. This is an opportunity to create something collectible right out of the gate for fans of Chew and fans of Ghost Brawler.
HIGUERA: It feels like people are craving physical media right now, especially unique physical media. Seeing a project like this lean into that is exciting.
GUILLORY: A lot of our focus is simply on giving people their money’s worth and creating something special for them from day one. It’s going to be a beautiful book with a lot of unique features. I’m a huge fan of collectible, well-made books, and we’re planning to knock this thing out of the park.
LAYMAN: We’re calling it the Black and white, whatever the order is!
GUILLORY: Black and Blue!
LAYMAN: –Black and Blue Edition because it’s going to include Rob’s blue-line pencils, almost like an Artist’s Edition. I don’t want people thinking of it as a black-and-white version with no color. Think of it as a process version of the book. We’re going to pull back the curtain on how the entire first arc is made. There will be scripts, design material, story content from at least the first three issues, and a lot of behind-the-scenes material. It’s going to feel much bigger than a simple preview edition. There are a lot of bells and whistles attached to it.
GUILLORY: I’m also a huge fan of special print processes, foil treatments, and things like that. Over the next month, I’m going to be experimenting with ways to make this book feel like a true physical artifact. We’re exploring ideas that nobody else is really doing right now. It should be a lot of fun.
HIGUERA: Rob, visually, how do you make ghosts feel tangible enough to fight while still keeping them distinct from this living world youre building around the dead?
GUILLORY: That’s something I’m still experimenting with, but it’s actually territory I’ve explored before. In Chew, Tony wasn’t dealing with ghosts, but he was dealing with visions. Throughout the series, there was always a balance between the physical world and these more ethereal experiences happening alongside it. As the series progressed, Tony even started interacting with what were essentially psychic ghosts. So I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how to visually separate those realities.
Some of that approach is going to carry over into Ghost Brawler. A lot of it will probably come through the coloring and the media used to render the ghosts. Most of the book will be traditional black-and-white pencil-and-ink artwork, but I think the ghosts will likely use different techniques and materials to separate them visually from the rest of the world. I’m still experimenting, but that’s the direction I’m leaning toward. I am still playing with it!
HIGUERA: I love hearing that, because even from the preview image alone, I think readers will immediately start asking questions. You’ve got a priest, an elderly ghost, a boxing ghost, and the main character all in the same image. I don’t know what’s happening, but I love it.
LAYMAN: Why, thank you.
GUILLORY: John’s always been really good at combining things that don’t seem like they belong together and making them feel completely natural. That’s very much his specialty.
HIGUERA: Looking beyond the first story, have there been discussions about building a larger universe around Ghost Brawler, or is it more self-contained?
LAYMAN: I’ve got the first five issues written, and I think any first comic arc needs to stand on its own. You want readers to feel like they got their money’s worth even if the story never continues.
At the same time, you want to plant seeds for bigger stories, and that’s what this series does. The current plan is that issues six and seven, around the time the first trade paperback comes out and we’re kicking off the second volume, will feature a Chew crossover. I’ve already built that into the roadmap.
We want this book to succeed and continue well beyond five issues. Plans are already in motion, and the Kickstarter will help give us a boost coming out of the gate.
HIGUERA: I think readers are always looking for independent universes that can continue growing, so hearing that you’ve already considered future stories and even a crossover is exciting.
LAYMAN: That’s one of the things comics do best. I love crossovers. I’ve written a lot of crazy ones over the years.
Honestly, whenever I’m creating a new series, I’m always thinking about potential crossover opportunities. And if there’s a way to tie it into Chew, that’s even better, because people still love Chew.
If you’re interested, make sure to check out the project here!
