Billy The Ghost Hunter Issue 1 (I Am Billy The Ghost Hunter)

**I Am Billy The Ghost Hunter** is the first issue of Ben Woodhall's Billy The Ghost Hunter series.

## Summary

In the year 2001, Billy is filming his ghost-hunting TV programme called "Billy The Ghost Hunter" with his co-hosts Jav and Internet Meme Star, as well as his cameraman Dave. They are discussing a ghost and are getting ready to hunt it; a day later, the crew are in an office with the CEO of Picmyth Studios, the studio which owns the rights to Billy The Ghost Hunter Television Show. The CEO claims that ratings have dropped even more since he could not capture the ghost and is not convincing enough people that they exist. Billy is warned by the CEO that if he fails another ghost investigation, his programme will be cancelled.

Billy begins to walk home and starts to contemplate his life, mentioning how he is short on money, he encounters a street performer playing the saxophone and offers him some money. He's at home in his little studio apartment, eating a cheese sandwich he prepared himself, talking about how he needs to find a better way to get some money because his TV show doesn’t make him a lot of money, then he observes that it's starting to rain.

In the past, when Billy was a child, his mother Audrey and father Magnus saw him reading books about ghosts and the supernatural and told him he couldn't read them anymore. His mother and father leave the room, and his older sister Judy enters, noticing Billy's distress. She pushes him in a sibling manner, but Billy is too upset to notice Judy, so she stops herself. Billy wonders whether there is something wrong with him for being interested in ghosts, and Judy responds in jest but also tells him that his interest in ghosts may be beneficial if he grows up to be a ghost hunter and that having a brother who can punch ghosts in the face would be cool. Judy instructs Billy to make a pledge to become a ghost hunter, and Billy does so.

Back in the present, Billy is laying in a small bed, unable to sleep because he is starving, and rethinking his life decision to start his own ghost-hunting show. He fantasises about having a girlfriend, watching movies, and snuggling with them. Billy suddenly starts coughing and realises he has coughed up a little amount of blood, but he isn't concerned as he has a heart condition.  Jav and Internet Meme Star come to Billy's apartment door, telling him that they have a lead on some paranormal activity at this abandoned factory, which would be fantastic for ratings.

Billy, Jav, Internet Meme Star, and Cameraman Dave travel to the destination in a minivan. They're putting up the camera and equipment when Jav hears something in the distance. A sinister voice cries out to them, and then a nasty-looking guy stabs Jav through the heart with a machete. The remainder of the crew looks on in astonishment as they observe a big bunch of dead bodies being individually possessed by a gigantic Ghost that appears to be made of many different organs, Chitlins. Chitlins orders his army of dead bodies to assault the surviving members of Billy's crew, and Cameraman Dave is killed while attempting to film the zombie-like monsters. Billy attempts to get away from the swarm of dead bodies but is apprehended, hacked apart, and slaughtered by them.

The torn-up remains of Billy and the rest of the crew have been piled together and are being buried underground by Chitlins; it's a horrific sight to behold. Billy's soul begins to leave his body and ascends in the manner of someone floating to the top of a swimming pool when a silhouette of a naked woman with long pink hair and radiance swims towards him and takes his hand.

A year prior, Billy is in an office with the CEO of Picmyth Studios; this is the same office seen previously, but it is being renovated. Billy is pitching the ghost-hunting show to the CEO of Picmyth Studios. The CEO is intrigued by the idea but wonders if the show will be successful in terms of ratings. Billy promises that his ghost-hunting skills are great and unparalleled, which is a lie and he has never even had a Ghost experience. The CEO of Picmyth Studios agrees to hire him and provide him with a show and a small staff to work with. Billy is driving home, pleased and relieved that he will be able to make Judy happy.

Back in the present, Billy's hacked-up body begins to restore itself, and his body entirely regenerates under the ground. Billy wakes up naked and floating in a metaphorical ocean; the water is a denim blue, and there is a refraction on the water above him. A beautiful naked woman with long pink hair emerges out of nowhere, and half of the metaphorical ocean turns pink on her side. Billy wonders who she is, and the woman introduces herself as Anima and claims to be a ghost who was trapped by Chitlins long ago and was about to possess Billy's body until she witnessed Billy's entire life and his passion for ghost hunting and decided to form a Ghost Bond with him. In exchange for Billy fulfilling his dream of becoming the greatest ghost hunter in the world, Anima fuses with Billy to become a half-ghost and give him all of her power. All Billy has to do is take one of his fingers.

Billy creeps like a zombie out of the dirt, jerking upward as if resurrected by defibrillators. Except for his thumbs, all of his fingers on his hand are now entirely purple. He's staring down at his crew/friends' soiled bodies, vowing vengeance.

Back in the factory, Chitlins, while feasting on the souls of the dead, looked behind him, as did his zombie army. Billy stood there with his head bowed and his airs dangling in the air. Chitlins finds it repulsive that he has resurrected after being torn apart and sends the same zombie after him again. Yet Billy remains still. Billy begins to gnaw the end of his forefinger till blood starts flowing from it, but he is assaulted by the zombie onslaught. Chitlins believes that's the end of it until Billy bursts out of the zombie pile now looking like a ghost with white hair and purpule eyes. Chitlins is surprised and wonders if he's just died before realising that he's become a Half-Ghost to one of his Ghost slaves. Billy lunges at Chitlins and punches him in the face, causing him to turn the other way. Billy then goes for his neck and pulls out his spine like he's drawing a sword, with Chitlins' head still connected. Billy then continues to slaughter all of the remaining zombies while acting like a lunatic.

After a few hours of zombie slaughter, it is now daylight, a group of individuals enter the abandoned factory and see Billy, the head of his group, Alyssa Hill, realises he is neither Ghost nor Human, but both. Alyssa Hill asks whether he was responsible for this, but Billy, rising up and transforming back into a Human, says he is fatigued and begins to fall over. She catches him as he begins to fall over. She offers him the option of being slain as a Ghost or working for her organization as a Human. Billy agrees as long as there is delicious food.

## Chapter Notes

* This is the first issue in the series.
* This is the first issue in the Introduction Arc.
* Billy's has a dream to become one of the greatest Ghost Hunters.
* Billy becomes a Half-Ghost with Anima.

## Characters by Appearance

* Billy The Ghost Hunter (debut)
* Jav (debut, death)
* Internet Meme Star (debut, death)
* Cameraman Dave (debut, death)
* Picmyth Studios CEO (debut)
* Audrey Hellberg (debut)
* Magnus Hellberg (debut)
* Judy Hellberg (debut)
* Chitlins (debut, death)
* Anima (debut)
* Alyssa Hill (debut)