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Saturday, November 27, 2010

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

postcards & bday cards

We recently got these Trese artwork, some of which are cards congratulating us on our winning the National Book Awards, some we got during Halloween, and the last one is a birthday card. Thank you for all these wonderful and funny artwork.

Michael David

Heubert Michael Khan

Melvin Arciaga

Gilbert Monsanto

Rommel Joson

Mark Torres

Monday, November 15, 2010

my speech for the National Book Awards

When TRESE: UNREPORTED MURDERS was nominated in the 2008 National Book Awards, I wrote this speech, thinking we had a good chance of winning since we were the only finalist. As most if you already know, we didn't win last year.

When were told that TRESE: MASS MURDERS was a finalist for the 2009 National Book Awards, I felt happy and excited, but tried not to get my hopes up. And yet, I couldn't help up but dig up that speech I wrote, thinking that maybe November 13 (the day of the awards) would be our lucky day.

Since I knew I'd still be in the UK during the night of the awards, I emailed my speech to Nida Ramirez, our publisher and asked her to read it in case we won.

As it turned out, November 13 was our lucky day as TRESE: MASS MURDERS got awarded the National Book Award for Best Graphic Literature of 2009.

Here's the speech I would've wanted to read on the night of the awards:

To the National Book Development Board and the Manila Critics Circle, thank you very much for recognizing our work and giving us this award.

To Ruey de Vera, who has shown support to local comics since 1995, writing reviews and interviewing local comic book creators, introducing them to Pinoys through his newspaper articles.

Thanks to Bow, Taps, Arnold, and Mark --the skeleton crew who conjured The World of the Unknown, a radio show about ghosts, aswang, and witches and most especially to Mark who thought of the name Trese.

Thanks to…

My dad, who told me all those stories that start with … There’s aswang outside the window!

My mom, who told me all those stories that ended with “happily ever after”

My brother Brandie, who drew my first horror comic book story and made me want to write more

Ka-Jo, my partner-in-crime, who asked me to do the impossible

Nida, our publisher and willing accomplice

Wella, who stands by my side during those days that seem like nightmares

Let me just take this opportunity to make an appeal to all the publishers in the room, to all the writers and artists in this room, to consider creating one comic book next year, to publish one graphic novel next year. (Although I’m not sure if my publisher will agree with me, that I’m encouraging you to become our competition.)

We once had a golden age of komiks, when supposedly it sold in the hundreds of thousands and reached millions nationwide.

We once had a golden age of komiks when it was the source material of many TV and radio programs -- and movies as well.

But maybe the age of the 10-peso newsprint komiks magasin sold at the bangketa is over.

Maybe this new age of comic books will flourish in the bookstores, sold at the price of a value meal.

I understand that as publishers, you have an editorial line to maintain. So, maybe aswang-hunting kick-ass women are not your thing and maybe gay beauticians swallowing giant magical stones that turn them into superwomen are not your thing-- but please do consider, the next time you plan a book about Rizal, why not tell it as a comic book – he was our country’s very first comic book artist after all.

The next time you do a biography of Ninoy or Cory, why not tell it as a comic book? 

When I picked up Dolphy’s autobiography I thought, “This should’ve been told as a comic book!”

The next time you do a cook book about paella – maybe it the instructions can be told using comic book panels.

We once had a golden age of komiks.

I invite you to take the leap – to take a super human leap and bring back that marvelous age, that wondrous age, that fantastic age.

Thank you and good night. 

Trese wins National Book Awards

(UPDATED WITH PICTURES FROM THE NIGHT OF THE AWARDS)

The Official Citation from the 2009 National Book Awards : Powerful, iconic characters comic book characters Darna , Zuma and Captain Barbell, among others, emerged fully-formed from the mind of Filipino comic creators. That creativity continues to this day, in all directions, in different ways. But in Trese, Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo have a stunningly original idea, swathed in the irresistible spookiness of our folklore and the edged mythology of our urban legends. Alexandra Trese, the enigmatic paranormal investigator and her lethal bodyguards the Kambal helps the police when encountering cases that just don’t make any sense of the normal kind. In the process, Tan and Baldisimo offers us a peek into the supernatural embedded into Metro Manila’s badly lit corners.

In the first volume, Trese: Murder on Balete Drive, we are introduced to Alexandra and her team, and the second volume, Trese: Unreported Murders, showed us one peculiar procedural after another. But it is in this third volume, Trese: Mass Murders, where we find out where and how Alexandra Trese came to be who and where she is. Instead of hemming us in, Trese: Mass Murders actually opens up another world of narrative possibilities.

The rabid fan following Trese has earned is impressive, and that only adds to the fact that in Trese, Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo has crafted a testament to the limitless capacity of the Filipino imagination, as well as one of the best Filipino comic books of all time.

It is for those reasons that Trese: Mass Murders is given the National Book Award for Graphic Literature.



the 2009 National Book Awards Trophy




Nida tries to lift the award as Ruey de Vera reads the citation

Nida, reading our acceptance speech / challenge to the publishers to make more comics


thanks to Ruey de Vera for sending us a copy of this citation
thanks to Nida for the pictures

Friday, November 12, 2010

SKYGODS preview pages







SEVEN GIFTS OF THE SKYGODS
Words by Mervin Ignacio
Art by Ian Sta Maria
Graphic Design Elements by Rizza Garcia
P200, 16-pages, full-color

NOTE : This will be available at the Komikon, Nov13, Starmall, EDSA. http://www.komikon.org/

Thursday, November 11, 2010

the man with the plan

This is Talis and he's got a plan to save the world.


I’ve been itching to do a Pinoy super hero story for the longest time. So, early this year, when I was supposed to be working on the Trese Book 4, I ended up scribbling this story and pitched it to Kajo.

We had a grand plan to juggle working on Talis on one month and working on Trese on the other month. Well, our dayjobs and other projects got into the way, so we ended up getting delayed with both books.

So far, this is the only finished TALIS story and we’ve decided to focus on the very delayed Trese Book 4, so it might be sometime before we can get back to revealing the other people who’ve crossed paths with Talis.

We hope to release Trese Book 4 early next year and if we’re lucky, we’ll get the chance to do another Talis book soon after that.

That’s the end of my intro and this link http://tresekomix.blogspot.com/2010/11/talis.html leads you the first issue of TALIS. Please do give it a read and tell us what you think.

Enjoy!


TALIS #1
Story by Budjette Tan
Art by Kajo Baldisimo


Minda needs to do a lot of things today, like study for her exams, take care of her ailing mother, and when the world needs her help, swallow a magical gem and transform into the high-flying super-hero Minakawa.


Minda was chosen to receive this magical gem because of her brave heart and kind soul; chosen by the man only known as Talis.


So, just when Minda thinks she’s done saving the day, Talis shows up to ask for one more favor. How can Minda say refuse the man who gave her all this power?


Read the complete story at:http://tresekomix.blogspot.com/2010/11/talis.html

TALIS
















 






TALIS #1
Story by Budjette Tan
Art by Kajo Baldisimo

Minda needs to do a lot of things today, like study for her exams, take care of her ailing mother, and when the world needs her help, swallow a magical gem and transform into the high-flying super-hero Minakawa.

Minda was chosen to receive this magical gem because of her brave heart and kind soul; chosen by the man only known as Talis.

So, just when Minda thinks she’s done saving the day, Talis shows up to ask for one more favor. How can Minda say refuse the man who gave her all this power?

 


Tuesday, November 09, 2010

TRESE Night Gallery: limited edition prints



Ladies and gentlemen! Aswang and enkanto! Come in! Come in!
The TRESE Night Gallery is now open!

The TRESE Night Gallery is a series of limited edition art prints illustrated by Kajo Baldisimo.
 
The artwork will depict characters and scenes from the TRESE universe.

Only 1300 prints will be made of each artwork. Each copy will be signed and numbered. The first in the series is entitled 'MALIKSI'. It will be sold first at the 2010 Komikon at a special 'convention-only' price of P100.

Print Specs: 16.5 x 11.7 inches (A3). Black and white.

Please check every 13th of the month if you are interested to preview the next artwork in the series.

Thank you!

Note: if you can can't attend the Komikon, we will announce at a later time how you can order/where you can buy these limited edition prints.

Sunday, November 07, 2010

TRESE TRICK OR TREAT Winners

Thanks to everyone who joined! It was fun to see all your different interpretations and ideas for Trese and the Kambal in costume. I asked Kajo Baldisimo and our publisher Nida Ramirez to help me pick the top 13 trick or treaters. Congratulations to the winners!

Chris Costello

Luis Oliveros

Norby Ela


Charmaine Joy Cabarle
Dexter Wee
Mica Chua



Eunice Gamboa
Wilson Tortosa
Enel Lawrence Villegas

Tennille Tan

 Ayo Yupango
Kitty Almazan
Cathryn G. Trinidad

You all get this limited edition TRESE print by Kajo. Only 1300 will be printed and signed. Congratulations!