an email from Mike Carey about TRESE

Last October, while I was in the UK, aside from getting to meet Alan Moore, I also got to meet Mike Carey, writer of THE UNWRITTEN, and Vertigo editor Pornsak Pichetshote. They were attending the British International Comics Show and they were in the audience of Yuko Shimizu's talk, the cover artist of THE UNWRITTEN.

After the talk, I tried to find the best opportunity to introduce myself to them. But a lot of other people were talking to them and I didn't want to be rude and just butt in their conversation.

I finally saw my chance when they broke away from the crowd and went into the men's room. (No! I did not follow them in there!)

I waited for them to come out and quickly blocked their way and blurted out: Hi!I'mBudjetteTanfromthePhilippines!AndIjustwantedtogiveYOUacopyofmycomicbookTRESE!ThankYOU!

I gave them copies of TRESE and said thanks again. As soon as I walked away, other people came up to them greet them and talk to them. I looked back and saw that they were flipping through the pages of TRESE and that just made me smile.

Before I could take another step, someone tapped my back. I turned around and saw Mr. Carey and Mr. Pichetshote holding TRESE and one of them handed me a pen and they asked me to autograph their copies.

At first I didn't know how to react and panicked, thinking, "What the hell should I write? If I make a typo in my autograph, will this ruin my chance of getting into Vertigo?"

As I scribbled down things that resembled words, I said: OhMyGod!ThisfeelLIKEsomethingthatwouldhappeninTHEUNWRITTEN!

(ugh, hopefully, I didn't sound like some valley girl when I said that)

Anyway, the experience got me all buzzed and I was smiling on the train ride back to Macclesfield.

The other day, I got this email from Mike Carey:

Hi Budjette.
And here I am, more than six months later. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you.  


I finally got around to reading TRESE. I was very impressed, by the storytelling, the concepts and the high-contrast art. Trese herself is a very convincing and engaging protagonist, and I very much enjoyed your handling of magic in the story - both for scary and for humorous effect. All in all, a lovely read with a very strong sense of place.

Thanks again for the free copy. I very much enjoyed reading it, and I hope it's been a success for you both in sales terms and in getting your name known and getting further commissions.

Best,
Mike

And I'm buzzed all over again! Dizzy! Feels like vertigo!

your history, your myths, your folk beliefs

“Remember your history, your myths, your folk beliefs no matter how meaningless or demeaning these may appear. It is with these that you create a new totality, the identity without which you will be formless, inchoate.”
–F. Sionil Jose, “Letter to the Next Generation.”

the Tres Komikeros interview

Last Monday, despite having a bad cold and cough that made me sound like a muppet, I got on Skype and chatted with John Amor and Migs Santos of TRES KOMIKEROS about how Trese started, how Trese was inspired by my favorite TV shows and how it was actually based on a rejected story I pitched to Marvel, and about how I got rejected by DC Comics and Atlas Komiks, and about how I really, really hate horror movies.

So, if you'd like to hear me babble for an hour and overshare details of my life, download the episode at: http://treskomikeros.wordpress.com/2011/06/01/tk-73-budjette-tan/

Here's the blurb from their blog: In this episode of Tres Komikeros, John and Migs are joined by National Book Award Winner, Budjette Tan. Join us as he talks about the inspiration and research behind his hit noir-horror graphic novel, Trese. In this hour-long interview, we shed light on strange and amusing factoids such as Budjette’s writing process, his “technique” for writing action sequences, his slowly growing case against Brian Michael Bendis, and much much more. Enjoy, folks!

The Real HANK D’ BARTENDER

Hank, me, and Kajo

Back in the mid-90s, I met Karen Kunawicz because I sent her a copy of my comic book. In return, she became our guide and gatepass into the wonderful world of Pinoy rock bands. She was our Alice and Mad Hatter rolled into one. She invited us to gigs at 70s Bistro, poetry readings at Club Dredd, more gigs at Clud Dredd, and raves conspired by Consortium. So, down the rabbit hole we went and met this other Mad Hatter (or is he the Cherish Cat mashed-up with the Caterpillar?). During one of those gigs, in one of the smoke-filled clubs, we met Hank Palenzuela.

Around that time, Hank was the bassist of Electrickool-aid, a band which Karen managed.

Sometime later (it was all a blur), Hank became the bartender of the Verve Room in Malate. We always got a free welcome drink from Hank. He never told us what was in that neon-orange concoction, but it always got us started on the right foot.

One of Hank’s classic story from the Verve Room was the night he got Bill Pullman drunk. Legend has it, Bill Pullman was here, filming Brokedown Palace. He arrived at the Verve dressed in a white polo and wearing a necktie. Hank started to serve him his special drinks and by the end of the night, Pullman had his polo ripped open and his necktie ended up around his forehead; and every time Pullman went to the bar, he’d yell, “Hank! You’re the best bartender in the world!” (Or so the story goes.)

So, when me and Kajo were putting together TRESE and we needed a bartender for The Diabolical, we thought it was only appropriate to call him Hank.

He ended up being called Hank Sparrow, because the real Hank lives a double life. When he’s not serving you his special drinks, he’s a pirate. Yup, he and Karen are part of the Black Pearl Philippines where he cosplays Cap’n Jack Sparrow.

At the Metro Comic Con, Hank told us how he usually has people come up to the bar (he’s been the bartender of BigSkyMind past couple of years) and they’d start off to say, “Hey! Aren’t you…” (And he’d half expect them to say, “Jack Sparrow”) But they end up saying, “Aren’t you that bartender from the Trese comic book?” (I guess Kajo drew “Hank d’ Bartender” too much like Hank.)

In every draft of Trese, Hank would usually have a line or two, or he’d do something to help solve the case; but when the time comes to edit the story down to 20 pages, Hank’s scenes would usually be the first to go. Which is one of the reasons why I started writing STORIES FROM THE DIABOLICAL, to give Hank d’ Bartender a chance to strut his stuff and serve his drinks.

At the Metro Comic Con, I asked Hank, if he could come up with a special drink list for The Diabolical. A smirk crawled on his face and he said, “Yeah! We could have a drink that uses the buntot ng butiki! Or how about a drink that uses the bulbol of a tikbalang! If getting a hair from the tikbalang’s mane lets you control it, can you imagine what you’ll get with a strand of its bulbol?!”

Right.

Okay.

And we’ll just have to reserve that story for another day.

So, the next time you’re in The Diabolical, tell Hank that you know us and you can be sure he’ll serve you one of his special drinks. Just don’t ask what’s in it.

Trese at the Metro Comic Con

And now, my very delayed post about the Metro Comic Con 2011

Since me and Kajo are trying to finish the fourth case of Book 4, in between all our usual work, let me just recap the highlights of MCC with these pictures I stole from other people’s Facebook accounts (Hello Ner and Carlo and everyone else who tagged us on Facebook!)

wherein Xandra Ramos of National Bookstore and Ernest Hernandez of Sketchpad Inc. cut the ribbon and official open Metro Comic Con 2011 (and I thought it was line to the buffet table)

With Karen, Vince, the real Hank, Kajo, Wella "The Accountant", Ian Sta. Maria, and Ace Enriquez

And we just want to say thanks to everyone who got copies of Trese, Precinto 13 by me, David, and Atan, Bathala: Apokalypsis by David Hontiveros and Ace Enriquez, the Skyworld series by Mervin Ignacio and Ian Sta. Maria, and The Filipino Heroes League by Paolo Fabregas

 

That's David Hontiveros on the left and Paolo Fabregas on the right and that's what I look like when I haven't had my first cup of coffee in the morning.

That's Paolo Fabregas on the left and Invisiboy on the right.

Getting a little kickback from Mr. David Lloyd

Philip Tan, the other Tan, and Heubert Michael Khan-- hatching a plan!

Jay Tablante, Wilson Tortosa, Czari Flores, and Carlo Pagulayan

THE KAMBAL COSPLAYERS

Me and Jay Tablante wanted to give away this wonderful poster of Bianca King’s cosplay Trese and all people had to do was come to the MCC dressed up like Trese or the Kambal or any other character from the comic book.

Well, only a couple of brave souls dared to dress up and here are the lucky winners.

We also got to play around with actual Kambal masks that were made for Jay’s shoot. So, yes, these are one-of-a-kind masks and they are not for sale. (But don’t worry, we’re trying to figure out if we can find a way to make more masks at a more affordable price.)

Mikey Bustos' Guide to Filipino Mythical Creatures

Singer, actor, and now YouTube celebrity Mikey Bustos presents to us a guide to Filipino Mythical Creatures. In this video, he talks about how his parents scared him as a kid when they told him about the "moomoo". He also talks about the sirena/mermaids, the duwende, aswang, the White Lady of Balete Drive, and what to do to protect yourself from witches / mangkukulam.

PRECINTO 13: Premeditation

PRECINTO 13: PREMEDITATION

Story by Budjette Tan

Art by Atan

Trese Metro Comic Con Exclusive

a young boxer is given the deal of a lifetime

but before he signs the contract

Trese offers to become his guide

showing him the dire consequences of 

not reading the fine print,

revealing the secret arena found under the city

where the country’s greatest champion 

fights for his very soul

TRESE: FIGHT OF THE YEAR

Story by Budjette Tan

Art by Kajo Baldisimo

Exclusively available at the

METRO COMIC CON 2011

Megatrade Hall 2,

5th Level Bldg B, SM Megamall

May 7 and 8, 10am to 9pm

Free TRESE cosplay poster

We will be giving away this limited-edition TRESE cosplay poster by Jay Tablante at the Metro Comic Con.

Here's how you can get this poster for free:


1
Come to the Metro Comic Con on May 7 and 8 dressed up as Trese or the Kambal or any of the characters from the comic book. (If you want to cosplay Capt. Guerrero or the Nuno or Maliksi the Tikbalang, that's also fine with us!)


2
Go to our booth and have your picture taken.


3
Get a free poster!

It's that easy!

We will only have 30 posters and it'll be given away on a "first come, first served" basis. (So, if 30 people come and cosplay Trese on the first day, then we won't have any posters to give away on the second day.)

See you at Metro Comic Con 2011!

METRO COMIC CON 2011
Megatrade Hall 2,
5th Level Bldg B, SM Megamall
May 7 and 8, 10am to 9pm


Cosplay Credits:
Photography: Jay Tablante
Make-up: Kris Bacani / Bianca King
Styling: Hannah Kim
Costume Production: Badj Genato
Production Design: Raffy Tesoro
Art Director: Angelo Lico
Digital Imaging: Angelo Lico
Models: Bianca King, Tiffany Alejandro, Philip Arca, Sassan Shohouki

wizard detectives and magic procedurals

NBC recently announced their new TV series called 17TH PRECINCT and it’s been dubbed as a “magic procedural” show.

Here’s the premise as reported by io9:

17th Precinct takes place in the city of Excelsior, which is basically San Francisco with a few noticeable differences. Like Alcatraz doesn't have an old prison on it, and the Golden Gate Bridge doesn't have cables on it. Cars drive themselves. Instead of Christmas, you celebrate the Equinox. (And yes, there are "gods" instead of "God.") Houses have "power plants" — which are actual plants that supply the energy for devices inside the house. Moore has always been a master of world-building, and this show is no exception. It's a really richly described setting, with lots of odd little details.


And the show takes a lot of pleasure in delving into the ways that the existence of magic changes police work. Instead of a forensics team, you call in the necromancer when you have a dead body. Instead of an autopsy, you do a necropsy. The police station's resident necromancer, Morgana, can summon the spirit of a recently deceased person and ask him/her questions. Instead of photographing the crime scene, the cops create magical "etchings" that show them every angle.

This reminded of the other movies that involved a “wizard detective”, which later served as inspiration for the cases and mysteries that Trese had to solve.

I think one of the first times I ever encountered the “wizard detective” was in the movie “Cast a Deadly Spell”


The movie starred Fred Ward as a private detective named Harry Philip Lovecraft. Set in the 1940s, where magic was used on an everyday basis. “…monsters and mythical beasts stalk the back alleys, zombies are used as cheap labor, and everyone — except Lovecraft — uses magic every day.”

The character of Lovecraft was seen again in the movie "Witch Hunt", where he was portrayed by Dennis Hopper.

Then there was the movie “Lord of Illusions” which starred Scott Bakula, as Harry D'Amour, a private investigator who specialized in occult cases. He wasn’t really a magician or wizard, but he did have tattoos that gave him protection from magic spells and curses.

Talking about “occult investigators”, we might as well toss in Karl Kolchak and Fox Mulder in that list of characters that inspired Trese.

One of the driving ideas behind Trese was trying to figure out the mystery behind urban legends and childhood ghost stories. It always nagged me how all the White Lady stories end with her disappearing. I wanted to know who was she, why does she hang out on Balete Drive, is a she a ghost, a diwata, or a CIA agent dressed up and designed to distract the public from more important issues (which was one of the theories about the White Lady).

Trese’s methods of detection were heavily influenced by my watching too many CSI shows. I thought that our local detectives would’ve have access to all those hi-tech CSI toys, so I thought Trese would be able to piece together clues by using magic spells to see the last thing that the victim saw and use her underworld contacts to track down the suspect.

I guess, Trese has always been a “magic procedural” type of serial, but I just never thought of coining that term.

So, if 17th Precinct becomes a hit, will “magic procedurals” become the next CSI and we’ll start seeing 17th Precinct: New York and 17th Precinct: Miami? Will we see more spellcasting detectives on TV soon?

And now that Constantine is back in the DC Universe, is it possible that the WB will have a Teen Constantine TV show in the works? Hopefully, they won’t do such a thing.

Team TRESE at Summer Komikon

Thanks to every one who came by to visit us at the Alamat / Visprint table!

Thanks to every one who got copies of Trese, Precinto 13, the Trese Night Gallery Prints, as well as Paolo Fabregas' THE FILIPINO HEROES LEAGUE!

And thanks to the Komikon crew from picking such a great venue and organizing such a great comic con! What a great way to start to the summer!

How I looked like at the start of the Komikon...

... and this is how I looked 5 hours later (trying to hide the pain)

Team TRESE: Wella, Kajo, and me

Fujipic courtesy of Hub Pacheco

This is the first time anyone's asked me to sign their shirt!

Paolo with his brand new baby!

And this should give you a good idea of how fun it was...

Art by Omeng Estanislao

Thanks to Hub and Kitty and all the other people who took our pix and I just swiped them from your Facebook page! Hehehe! Thank you!

Precinto13 at Summer Komikon

PRECINTO 13 No.1
Contains two stories: "A Domestic Disturbance" and "Premeditation"
Story by Budjette Tan and David Hontiveros
Art by Atan http://atanbz.deviantart.com/
16-pages, black-and-white


3rd Summer Komikon 2011
Bayanihan: Komiks Moving Onwards
April 16, 2011 (10am to 7pm)
Bayanihan Center, Pasig City
Entrance Fee: Php 100

Click here to see map of the venue:
http://www.komikon.org/map-to-bayanihan-center/