“Grammaton Punch” Comes Out Swinging

A former digital exclusive that can finally be enjoyed in print, Grammaton Punch is a modern coming-of-age story that features dynamic, manga-style action. This story is written by Miles Gunter, drawn by Briane Andan, with colors by Lee Loughridge and letters by Taylor Esposito. Originally published as a comiXology Original in 2023, a trade paperback featuring all five issues was released in March 2026.

Comixology Originals

Grammaton Punch follows a kid named Van Nguyen. Born during a solar eclipse, he has “something extra”: the ability to see ghosts called “feeders.” We follow him from his childhood into his teenage years as he struggles with being the only person in his life who can see feeders and how they suck the life force out of unaware humans. As a rambunctious kid faced with these surreal challenges, he finds his only way to fight back is through punching. The comic also teases the idea of “Grammaton gloves,” kickboxing gloves that can easily send the ghosts back to where they came from, though the gloves themselves have been lost.

Though the premise is fantastical, Grammaton Punch takes place in our modern world. Between fights for his life, Van goes to high school, deals with family life, and befriends a girl named Skye.

Comixology Originals

Van doesn’t have it easy. He’s raised by a single mom and wears big red prescription glasses, making him an easy target for bullying. The feeders he was exposed to as a child also left a permanent mark, turning his hair white. Van is undeniably an underdog protagonist, and the strong design choices emphasize this even as he ages across the story.

Andan’s art is stylized and kinetic. The spectacle of Grammaton Punch is Van fighting back against the monstrous feeders, and the combat-heavy parts of the story grab your attention. Everything in the art is full of energy through manga-style paneling, poses, and kinetic action. To convey the intensity during fight scenes, the linework becomes sketchy, mimicking extreme motion.

Esposito’s lettering shines during the fight scenes too. It’s not uncommon to see a “SMACK,” a “FWACK,” or a “KRAK” accompanying the punches, a choice that reminds you of the heightened, delightful reality of action-oriented comics.

Comixology Originals

Overall, my main issue with this series is the focus of the story itself. It’s a short five issues and spends much of its first two chapters explaining the plot, characters, and lore. I found a lot of it to be inelegant, as some of the series’ mysteries could’ve been withheld for greater suspense or teased as part of a potentially longer story. The end of the second issue also features a four-year time jump to high school, a choice that I found disorienting, as I had already gotten used to the time period of the story so far.

It’s difficult not to compare Grammaton Punch to Something Is Killing the Children, a similar monster-hunter series that began publishing in 2019. That comic also follows a protagonist who can see monsters that no one else can but keeps much of its lore and universe unknown to the readers until later issues, deepening its suspense and mystery.

Overall, I think Grammaton Punch started with potential but did not always succeed in telling a focused story over its five issues, struggling to balance its expansive, fantastical ideas within the confines of its short run.