Billy Bat 2

BILLY BAT #2

tl by molokidan

02)
A Profile of Kevin Yamagata, the author of "Billy Bat."

Born on November 26, 1923. A famous Japanese-American comic artist from Orange County, California. Well-known for his work "Billy Bat."

His parents were both originally from Niigata. From a very small age, he was good at drawing, and often drew comics from local newspapers and magazines in high school. After graduating, he went to an art school, "Funny Art of Los Angeles," and while continuing to draw comics relating to movies in his local newspaper, also started to draw a detective comic.

Another work of his, "The Memories of a Texan Detective - Pistol Hair into the wild!" appeared in a special feature in the Japanese-American magazine, Little Tokyo, netting him great popularity with Japanese-Americans. In 1945, he moved to Tokyo right after the end of the war to become an interpreter for the Japanese Army, and in 1946, he started working for GHQ. Soon after, he started serializing the "Billy Bat Series" with Marble Comics. Instantly, it rose to the same popularity as hero series such as Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, and later came to be regarded as a great source of inspiration for Dick Tracy.

B: What happened last time....
My name is Billy Bat. I'm a private detective. I'm currently working on a case dealing with adultery concerning a devilish young doll who meets continually meets with a countless number of sugar daddies every other night.
B: However, when I went to the manor of my client to deliver the report, I was surprised to find him dead. And then, after returning to my office, completely exhausted, that devilish wife of his was there waiting for me.
W: Help me...
B: Are you the one...
B: who killed him...?
W: No!!
W: It wasn't me!!

03)
B: Then who...
W: Ahhh!!
B: Get down!! There's a secret way out of here!!
W: Eeek!!
B: C'mon!!
B: Hurry it up!!
W: You're a bat, aren't you? Just carry me across!!
B: This still isn't the right time for a fella to go flying around, you know.
W: You goof!!
B: Smells good...
B: How many men did you hypnotize with this aroma?
W: You're horrible!!

04)
B: You really killed him, didn't you?
W: When I was 15, I was taken to Hollywood.
W: In order to get such a small part, I had to do a lot that I don't want to recall.
W: But he was the first man who was ever truly nice to me.
W: Why would I ever kill him?
B: But cheating is a different matter?
B: Hanging around with a different sugar daddy ever night...
B: In the end, getting close to the big cheese...
W: My husband asked me to do that.
B: Huh?
B: What did you say?
B: Your husband's the very man that requested I spy on you.
W: Your duty was to keep an eye on me,
W: in order to ensure I wasn't erased.
B: What do you mean?
W: The truth is, I was approached by the man that introduced me to my husband.

05)
W: My husband worked for him.
B: Worked for him?
W: Yes, in an organization.
B: Organization...the FBI? OSS?
W: No. You could say it's a newly-created organization.
B: ...so, this newly-created organization...
B: came and asked you to get close to that man...
B: Why would they want you to get close to such a rich family of Irish immigrants in the first place?
W: I don't know.
B: For crying out loud! You killed your husband!!
W: That family will someday...
W: destroy America.
B: Wha...?

06)
B: Unnnngh!
B: You're one of the goons that beat me up earlier, aren't you!?
B: Well what do we have here?!
B: The Russian spy, Bareshnikov!!
B: Wait!! Are you with these fellas?!
B: You think running will let you get away?
B: If a bat like me flies, there'll be nowhere for you to hide.
B: "You are the true criminal!!"

07)
K: Hmmmm...
K: No matter how much I think about it...
K: This conclusion just doesn't feel right...
K: Ahh, no, no! This ending won't work at all!!
G: Um...you have a phone call from Mr. Newman with Marble Comics.
K: OK...make the night look more realistic here.
G: Got it.
K: Hello? This is Kevin.
K: I was just about to call you right now, too.
K: About that conclusion...
K: There's just something about making it all the work of Soviet spies that...

08)
N: Don't worry about it, Kevin, you're thinking too much!!
K: Ah...no, i was thinking that if we just widened it enough, and made the woman a Soviet spy too...
N: Do what you want, just make sure that in the end it's the fault of the Soviet spies! And don't forget the deadline!!
K: Ah...uh...
N: *boop boop*
G: Um...this car is driving on the left side. What should we do?
K: Eh?
K: I did it again...
K: I was in Japan for so long...
G: You're Japanese-American, so you have relatives in Japan, huh?
K(2b): Yeah, I heard they're in some place called Niigata...but I don't have the time to go visit...
G: What did you go there for, then?
K: To translate for the Allies...
sfx: ding-a-ling
G: We have visitors.
K: Don't worry, I'll get it.
K: Hello, who...
?: Are you Mr. Kevin Yamagata?
?: We're with the police.
K: Po...li....?
R: I'm Chief Inspector Reynolds, and this is Officer Hoffman.
H: Excuse us!
K: Wa...wa...wait...
K: Don't just barge into someone's workspace!!

09)
R: This really is the best position, after all.
K: Best position...?
R: We're going to have to use this room for a little while.
K: What, says who...
H: Don't worry, we've received permission from your landlord.
K: Even if the landlord gives you permission, I...!!
R: Take a look at that room over there.
K: Eh...?
R: The person living in that room is extremely suspicious.
R: It seems that he's a Russian spy.
K: Another Russian spy, huh...?
R: What do you mean another?
K: No, no, nothing...
K: How can you figure out whether he's a spy or not anyway?
R: We received some secret information.
K: Secret information...?
K: It was from the landlord, right?
K: He thinks all the neighbors are Russian spies!
K: All he ever thinks about is McCarthy's Red Scare.
K: I was even afraid he was going to report me a while back...
K: With you two laying in wait like that, I'll be too distracted to get any work done?

10)
R: Work...?
K: Ahhh! Hey, don't touch those without permission!!
R: Oh!?
R: Hey, isn't this that "Billy Bat" comic!?
K: Yes...
R: Ah...so you're the one who draws this...!!
K: Well...yes...
R: I always read it!!
R: Is this the end of the Billy detective series?
K: Ah...well, uh, thanks.
K: It's probably better if you just read it in print.
H: Heh...this comic's really that famous...?
K: Ahh, hey...!!
H: Hm?
K: What? I haven't drawn anything that you policemen would complain about.
H: No...
H: I've seen this before...
K: Eh?
H: This bat character...

11)
K: Wh...what are you talking about?
K: That's a character I thought up...
H: Ah, I remember now!! That's right. Back when I was working somewhere else...
H: I get it. You're translating it and re-drawing it, right?
K: What are you talking about?
K: This is an original creation I worked really hard to think up!!
H: But it looks exactly the same...
K: As what...?
H: As a Jap comic.
K: A Japanese...?
H: I saw it. Exactly the same as this.
H: In Japan...

12)
1949, Tokyo.