Billy Bat #13

It's been a busy weekend for new releases. Billy Bat (ビリーバット) jumps between many time lines, many characters, conspiracy theories, and mysteries. Volume 13 focuses on Michael Jackson look-a-like 1980's Kevin Goodman, not to be confused with the original protagonist Kevin Yamagata. Although they are both key successors (or 後継者) to the Billy Bat saga.

There is also flashbacks to a conversation between Hilter and Einstein, fake moon landings, and the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake (which also appeared recently in Ghibli's Kaze Tachinu).

I always enjoy the suspense and mystery the Naoki Urasawa (浦沢直樹) weaves through his stories, so equal credit needs to be given to Takashi Nagasaki (長崎尚志) who has worked closely with Urasawa for many of my favourite series including Monster (モンスター), 20th Century Boys (20世紀少年), and Pluto (プルートウ).

Billy Bat: http://morning.moae.jp/lineup/55

Billy Bat #11

The catch copy on the sleeve of the latest Billy Bat (ビリーバット) release says, "Will the scroll that controls time finally shed like on the true identity of Billy Bat?!" And since Naoki Urasawa's (浦沢直樹) manga are known for their multi-layered twists and turns I was a bit skeptical of the claim. And here I should also point out the excellent work of Takashi Nagasaki (長崎尚志) who writes a lot of the stories with Urasawa including the past series of Monster, 21st Century Boys, Master Keaton, and Pluto to just name a few.

I won't give anything away about the latest story line, but I finally feel like the puzzle is starting to be solved. After I was a bit frustrated with the previous volume, volume #11 steps up an delivers some answers. Einstein and Saint Frances Xavier pop in for some more flashback cameos and shed light onto the origins of the scroll that everyone is in a mad scramble trying to track down, and Billy Bat.

But as the story takes a small step toward it's conclusion, a new 1981 story line is introduced which references the space shuttle Columbia, and new Kevin. Could this be Kevin Yamagata's son? I guess we'll have to tune in same bat time, same bat channel. Until next time.