Billy Bat 47

*Only for use by Mangastream.

tl by molokidan

1)
1: Oh no, it's...!!
2: Waaait, you bank robber!!
3: You'll be seein' stars if you try that one again!!
4: Billy!!
5: Billy...my hero!!
6: You did it again, Billy!!
side: When the bat flies in the sky, the curtain drops on all the villains!!

2)
side: 14 years earlier, Kevin's beloved pupil Chuck works desperately to keep the comic going...!!
2: tap tap
3: good work!
4: Well, the printer'll close soon, so...
5: How is it?
6: Huh?
7: Billy's popularity...how is it looking?

3)
1: Not too good.
2: If I had to say, it's completely plummeted.
3: Oh...really...
4: Let me be frank with you, Chuck.
5: The Billy you draw is kinda...
6: he just doesn't seem right, y'know?
7: Doesn't seem right...
8: He looks kinda childish.
9: But I...
10: He needs to be more, uh, dark, y'know?

4)
1: This is exactly what I'm talking about.
2: You draw these eyes a lot, but you should really stop.
3: Ahh...but those eyes are my...
4: The readers want a hard-boiled Billy.
5: Got it? Hard-boiled.
6: I'll do my best!!
7: When's Kevin coming back?
8: Ahh...well, he hasn't called me yet...
9: but I assume he'll be back soon...
10: Sheesh...
11: Ahh...

5)
1: Errmm...I have an idea...
2: You know...
3: I'll be entirely honest.
4: OK.
5: The boys up top are thinking of canceling it.
6: Anyway, I'm counting on you 'till the next deadline--

6)
Chapter 47 - The Two Chucks

7)
1: Los Angeles - 1950 -
2-3: skritch skritch
4: The eyes always end up like this...
5: skritch skritch
6: Hooo...it's really hard to draw things like Kevin does...
7: knock knock
8: It's open, come on in!

8)
1: I'm already in.
2: knock knock
3: Is this Chuck Culkin's studio?
4: No, this is Kevin Yamagata's studio.
5: Oh? I thought this is where Billy Bat was born...?

9)
1: Yes, you're right.
2: That's why I said this is Kevin's studio.
3: Well that's strange alright...
4: I'm talking about this Billy.
5: Ah...that's...
6: Chuck Culkin drew this one, didn't he?
7: Hmm?
8: Y...yes.
9: Sorry, but that's the only way I can draw...
10: Boy is this great.

10)
1: Huh?
2: And that cute face he shows once in a while is even better.
3: Umm...
4: I bet Billy's happy to be drawn this way, too.
5: Huh...?
6: Oh...hey, can you draw him any cuter than that?
7: Er...umm...
8: Well...
9: Hey...yeah, that's it.
10: Let's see you draw him now.
11: Ummm...
12: Ohhh, so that's how you draw him. Isn't that something!

11)
1: Woah, woah, woah!
2: It's like the lines melt and give him life!
3: I think this is about right...
4: This is it!
5: THIS is our Billy.
6: Our...?
7: Yeah. Just now, all I had to do was tell you to draw him a bit cuter,
8: and this was born.

12)
1: No, no, Billy is Kevin's creation.
2: What if I had a letter of consent?
3: A letter of consent...?
4: A letter of consent stating that Kevin had turned the Billy Bat rights over to you.
5: But there's no way you could...
6: Take your time and read it later.

13)
1: For the time being, however, this is what I'm interested in.
2: No matter how many times I look at him, he knocks my socks off...
3: How about teaming up with me?
4: You and me...

14)
1: will snatch up the world.
2: Beverly Hills - 1963--

15)
1(2b): tap tap
2: Another great one this week, Mr. Culkin!

16)
1: Good thing you came to pick up the manuscript bright and early in the morning, eh?
2: What are you talking about, Mr. Culkin? I'd fly out here to pick up a new manuscript any hour of the day!
3(2b): I get to read the new Billy Bat before anyone else, remember? That's the special privilege I have as your editor.
4: It's entertaining as always, though. How do you always come up with such great ideas?
5: Like I said, I talk to him.
6: To Billy Bat?
7: Anyway, I have to take this over to the printer now ASAP.

17)
1: After all, the children of the world are waiting!
2: bump
3: Ohh, excuse me.
4: klak
5: I've been up all night, so keep the report brief, would you?
6: Up all night...?
7: I always thought the saying went "the bad sleep well."

18)
1: In any case, I'll make it brief.
2(2b): I was able to follow Kevin Yamagata until he got off the train in Salt Lake City, but after that he completely disappeared.
3: I searched the room in the back of the bar in the "western town" where he was staying...
4: but I was only able to find some sketches from his comics.

19)
1: Who's that rabbit?
2: According to the memo attached, his name is Oswald...
3: Hm...
4: And what about the Oswald your men were after?
5: He recently moved from Dallas to New Orleans.
6: So then Kevin must be
7: in one of those...
8: You think so as well?
9: We've already been moving in that direction.
10: I'm counting on you.

20)
1: Finally, I would like to confirm this just one more time.
2: When we find Kevin Yamagata...
3: That isn't something to talk about on such a beautiful day.

21)
1(2b): klak klak
2: Thank you for your continued hard work.
3: Would you like some breakfast, sir?
4: Nah.
5: Is there anything else I can do...?
6: Nope.
7: Well then, I will excuse myself.
8: Ah...Mr. Gielgud.

22)
1: How did you like Billy Bat this week?
2: I enjoyed it very much.
3: That again...
4: Are you being honest?
5: Of course he is.
6: You're a genius, remember?
7: Every time the new issue hits the newsstands, I get nervous...
8: thinking about how Kevin must hate me enough to want to kill me.

23)
1: There's nothing to worry about. I showed you the letter of consent, remember?
2: Yeah...
3: About that document you brought...
4: There's no way Kevin would sign such a thing.
5: Kevin would never turn Billy Bat over to someone else...
6: He even went to meet someone in Japan who was drawing a similar character...
7: Because he wanted to go on drawing Billy for the rest of his life...
8: He truly loved Billy...

24)
1: We love Billy more than anyone else now, though.
2: No, it's your readers around the world that love the Billy you draw the most.
3: Hey...
4: Hm?
5: Who are you, really?

side: The name and identity of the man recognized by children around the world is a mystery...?! Not even the real Chuck knows...?!

Next: Dec. 9