Trese 4 wins 2011 National Book Award

 

PRESS RELEASE

“Trese” wins National Book Award, Best Graphic Literature for 2011

Trese Book 4: Last Seen After Midnight, written by Budjette Tan, illustrated by Kajo Baldisimo was awarded Best Graphic Literature for 2011 at the National Book Awards.

The award was received by Tan, Baldisimo and their publisher Nida Ramirez of Visprint, Inc.

Kajo Baldisimo, Budjette Tan, Ruel de Vera, Nida Ramirez, Manix Abera

This is the second time that National Book Development Board and the Manila Critics Circle have recognized and awarded the works of Tan and Baldisimo. Last 2010, Trese Book 3 won the same award.

Trese follows the adventures of paranormal investigator Alexandra Trese. She is the main consultant of the police whenever they encounter crime involving supernatural creatures. In Trese Book 4, she is called to solve the murder of a manananggal, stop a plant elemental from committing a massacre, investigate a case involving a bangungnot, and reveal the secret of the country’s champion prize-fighter.

Ruel de Vera of the Manila Critic Circles, wrote in his introduction for Trese 4: “With each case, Budjette and Kajo raise their levels of artistry to new heights without ever resorting to gimmickry, relying instead on an expertise in the unexpected twist and self-awareness, a feat that transcends the tropical islands Trese originates from. From a cult hit, Trese has now become a true mainstream success—which it deserves—and the next step should be widespread international recognition—which it deserves as well.”

In the past two years, Trese has received much praise from here and abroad.

"Trese continues to impress and surprise, daring to go where no Filipino comic book dare to go," said Gerry Alanguilan, creator of the award-winning graphic novel Elmer. 

Leinil Yu, artist of Marvel’s Indestructible Hulk said, "Trese excites the little child in me which used to believe in the wonders of Filipino folklores, and my adult self who enjoys intelligently written and drawn tales.  Budjette and Kajo's Trese is a gem"

Aaron Rahsaan Thomas, Executive Producer of Southland and writer/producer of CSI:New York, had this to say about the graphic novel: “The late Steve Sabol of NFL films once said, ‘Tell me a fact and I’ll remember. Tell me the truth and I’ll believe. But, tell me a story and it’ll live in my heart forever.’ It is a unique and admirable skill to craft a well told story set in an intriguing world, inhabited by compelling characters. Yet, every time I open a chapter of the Trese saga, I’m blown away by Budjette’s imagination and by Kajo’s imagery. They’ve created a series full of swagger, featuring one of the most dynamic heroines you’ll ever see. Trese is thrilling, engaging and epic.”

"From the first moment I got a glimpse into the world of Alexandra Trese, I was hooked,” said Shanty Harmayn, CEO at Salto Film Company, Producer of the award-wining Indonesia film “Sang Penari” (The Dancer) “It was wonderfully new and exciting, yet somehow familiar as many of the supernatural creatures and their stories were similar to the tales I grew up hearing in Indonesia. With Budjette's masterful ability to weave a great mystery and Kajo's beautiful graphic imagery, I look forward to visiting Trese's world many times over."

In 2011, after Trese 4 ended up on National Book Store’s Best Seller List, Tan received this email from Neil Gaiman, “So ridiculously proud of you! When I came out all those years ago for the first time, that was what I wanted to see happen... I feel like you and all the smart Filipino writers and artists out there are doing something really brave and powerful, making a whole new wave of Filipino art and story. Well done!”

National Book Awards was held last November 17, 2011 and was presented by The National Book Development Board and the Manila Critics Circle in cooperation with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts. The event was held at the Old Senate Session Hall of the National Museum of the Philippines.

National Book Award Trophy designed by Michael Allen R. Cacnio

Trese Book 4 Finalist in National Book Awards

"The National Book Development Board (NBDB) and the Manila Critics Circle (MCC) are pleased to announce the finalists for this year’s National Book Awards. The names of the winners will be revealed during the awarding ceremonies that will be held on November 17 at the National Museum."

GRAPHIC LITERATURE

1. Private Iris Case 18: The Programmer’s Puzzle, by Jaime Bautista and Arnold Arre, Blue Cow

2. Trese 4: Last Seen After Midnight, by Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo, Visprint 

 

MANILA CRITICS CIRCLE SPECIAL PRIZE FOR AN EBOOK

1. Alternative Alamat, by Paolo Chikiamco, Flipside Digital Content Company

2. High Society, by Paolo Chikiamco and Hannah Buena, Flipside Digital Content Company

3. The Long Weekend: A Komix Novella, by Adam David, Flipside Digital Content Company

4. The Top 25 Power Words Every Call Center Agent Should Know, by Rye Gutierrez, Flipside Digital Content Company

 

 

In the middle of a very hectic workday, I got a text and an email from our publisher that Trese Book 4 (Last Seen After Midnight) is a finalist in the 2011 National Book Awards, in the Best Graphic Literature Category. I texted Kajo the great news and he replied: Nakakawala ng pagod, Budj. Sarap. Later that day, I got five new pages from Kajo. (Yes, we are making good progress on Book 5 of Trese.)

Was also happy to see some familiar names nominated in this year's National Book Awards.

Jamie Bautista and Arnold Arre's PRIVATE IRIS is a finalist in the Graphic Literature category.

Paolo Chikiamco, my co-editor in Kwentillion, is a finalist for his Alternative Alamat anthology, which, by the way, has a Trese story. Paolo's comic book story "High Society" is also a finalist in the eBook category, as well as, Adam David's "The Long Weekend: A Komix Novella".

I do hope more people check out these books, as well as the other books nominated for the National Book Awards. Below is a link to the complete list of finalists.

NBDB: 31st National Book Award finalists announced

http://nbdb.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=888&Itemid=114

Trese in Spot.ph TOP 10 PINOY BOOKS OF 2010

The 10 Best Pinoy Books of 2010 You Should Read—and Give Away
http://www.spot.ph/top-list/47219/top-10-books-by-pinoy-authors/1


As 2010 comes to a close, SPOT.ph asked Andrea Pasion-Flores, executive director of the National Book Development Board and herself an author and fictionist, to pick the most noteworthy Pinoy reads released this year that were penned by some of the most creative and controversial storytellers of our time. Check out the page-turners that deserve a place on your bookshelf--or under the Christmas tree.

CSI meets kapres, duwendes, tikbalangs and other mythical creatures of the Philippine underworld in Trese. Tan and Baldismo have created a series just as suspenseful and entertaining with strange murder suspects and a girl-sleuth named Alexandra Trese and her aswang sidekicks. Set in contemporary Metro Manila, the crimes are horrendous, with no violence, blood, or gore spared, and depicted in black-and-white illustration that show unearthly crime in all its gruesome glory. Would you believe this graphic lit series won a National Book Award? It’s that good.

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

Finalist for the 29th National Book Awards

The NBDB and the Manila Critics Circle are pleased to announce this year's finalists of the 29th National Book Awards. Winners will be announced on November 13 at The Metropolitan Museum of Manila.


Graphic Literature
1. Trese: Mass Murders, Ferdinand-Benedict G. Tan and Jonathan A. Baldisimo (Visprint)
2. El Indio A Graphic Novel by Francisco V. Coching (Vibal Foundation)

See the complete list of finalists at:
http://nbdb.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=827&Itemid=1

Sam is a fan

Thanks to Gabriella for sending me a link to this press release:
http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=580349&publicationSubCategoryId=70

... which shows Sam Concepcion holding a copy of TRESE, while driving his car-- well, he's about to drive his car. As much as it's great that the National Book Developement Board is endorsing reading, I think they should not endorse reading-while-driving. (I'm joking! Must not insult NBDB-people who helped promote Trese last year. Hello NBDB-people!!!) Anyway, here's the press release...

Sam Concepcion is one of the National Book Development Board’s (NBDB) Get Caught Reading campaign ambassadors. This is aside from the advocacies he is supporting as youth ambassador for Education and the Arts, Department of Education’s Youth role model, ambassador for Education and Spokesperson and World Vision’s ambassador for children.


When the NBDB launched Get Caught Reading in 2007, Sam and his fellow cast members of Super Inggo went on a tour of schools to promote the habit of reading. Sam is also a regular storyteller in the NBDB’s storytelling events in malls, libraries and schools.


“Reading is like a song. There’s certain feeling you associate with reading a book the same way you’re reminded of something when you listen to songs,” says Sam, a 17-year-old stage actor. Among his stage roles are Edmund Pevensie in Trumpet’s The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. He says it helps a lot to re-read the books everytime he plays a character from an adaptation.

far away, so close

The 2008 National Book Awards was held last Saturday night at the Ayala Museum.
TRESE: UNREPORTED MURDERS was the only nominee in its category.

We did not win.

We did not get the unanimous vote of the judges.

We did get to bring home some nifty certificates of recognition that say TRESE is the Finalist for the Best Book in Graphic Literature category.



Below: Kajo, my partner-in-crime; Nida, our publisher and willing accomplice; and me



We keep on writing.

We keep on drawing.

We try again next year.



thanks to Wella for the pictures and for being there

NBDB's Book of the Month

Trese is the National Book Development Board Book Club's pick for July

http://nbdb.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=740&Itemid=1





Join the NBDB Book Club as we follow the trail of Alexandra Trese as she roves the streets of Manila to unravel crimes involving paranormal creatures Sherlock Holmes style.

This July’s book pick is Trese, the highly acclaimed series of graphic novels by Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo. Contributing to the renaissance of Pinoy comics, Trese reintroduces us to the rich Philippine folklore with its inky sketches detailing creepy stories of dark creatures looming the streets of Manila. The NBDB Book Club will be joined by author Budjette Tan and illustrator Kajo Baldisimo who will talk about their work and answer questions from fans.

Trese is published by VisPrint and is available at Comic Quest, Comic Odyssey, Pandayan, National Bookstore, Best Sellers, Fully Booked, Powerbooks and other leading bookstores and comics outlets.

The NBDB Book Club session will be held on July 25, 2 pm, at the Filipinas Heritage Library, Makati Avenue cor. Ayala Avenue, Makati City.

Moderated by Carlo Vergara (creator of Zsazsa Zaturnnah)

Admission is free.

Call 926-8238 for details.