Exposed!!!

In the June issue of FHM, if you manage to not get distracted by the pretty pictures of RR Enriquez...


... and you manage to get yourself to this page...


...you'll get to read the interview conducted by B.A. Borleo
...wherein he talked to Arnold Arre, Gerry Alanguilan, David Hontiveros, Carlo Vergara, and me about the past and possible future of Philippine comic books


...and if that isn't enough reason to get this issue of FHM, then I must tell you that this issue also contain the first ever picture of Zsazsa Zaturnnah in the nude!!!

...which is accompanied by one of the funniest interviews I've ever read!!!

...Zsazsa Zaturnnah should be given a regular advice column in FHM!!!


Itutuloy... :-)


Trying to track down copies of TRESE?
This lead might help: http://tresekomix.blogspot.com/2009/01/tracking-down-trese.html

Angels and Aswang

Art by Thadeus Obaob
http://thei11.deviantart.com/


Thadeus said, "This is my favorite local comic book right now. I love TRESE... everything in it, the story, the artwork is truly fantastic, marvelous. I'm a certified TRESE-fan. Anyway this fanart is dedicated to The Great Mr. Budjette Tan. A little side story of the artwork: Alexandra Trese is about to rescue a flock of fallen Angels from an evil syndicate that makes cologne and perfumes out of their tears. aaaw that's gotta hurt..."

Not a bad idea :)

More TRESE artwork at:
http://www.exhibit13.blogspot.com/

TRESE reviewed in POC's Booklat

Aswangs turn noir in Trese, Written by Mighty Rasing

Through the efforts of Budjette Tan and other graphic artists and storytellers, a new generation of Filipinos is enjoying the recreation and fresh interpretation of Pinoy folklore and culture. It is considered Filipino speculative fiction at its best.

Even the best stories in Pinoy komiks can be buried like the proverbial needle in the haystack of pop culture with the dominance of imported comics such as Marvel and DC. That is, if local audiences will not patronize and buy locally written and produced comics. In Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo’s Trese, however, another world-class product by Filipinos is waiting to burst into the mainstream comics scene.

READ THE COMPLETE REVIEW AT:
http://www.thepoc.net/index.php/Booklat/Booklat-Features/Aswangs-turn-noir-in-Trese.html

TRESE at the Summer Fiesta Komikon

Thanks to everyone who dropped by the Visprint table and the Alamat table!
(Got a text from Paolo that his preview books for FILIPINO HEROES LEAGUE got sold out before 6pm)

Very sorry we got there late.

As usual, I forgot to bring an electric fan for the booth, and thanks to my polar bear body, I was sweating buckets the minute I sat down. So, I must apologize to all the people who asked me to sign their books and I just ended up sweating on the pages.

I must also apologize to everyone that I already and forgot that already met them. (You have to help me out! I'm on old man!)

Many thanks to Melvin Arciaga for the TRESE caps that he created and designed for me and Kajo. You can check out Melvin's other creations at: http://vinarci.deviantart.com/





To the lucky ones, we hope you liked your exclusive sneak preview for Case #9.

As you can see, we're working as fast as we can to finish TRESE: BOOK 3.



And, of course, thank you and congratulations to TEAM:KOMIKON for another successful and very musical event!

Here's Gerry's vlog about the event:

TRESE (The Sunday Inquirer Review)

“Trese: Unreported Murders” is the second volume of the “Trese” series written by Budjette Tan and drawn by Kajo Baldisimo. What readers have to understand is that “Trese” is a set of four episodic stories featuring a “monster-of-the-week” plot, albeit one infused with local flavor and mythology.

Tan’s protagonist is a heroine who investigates supernatural events. The writer doesn’t explain much in terms of character but dives immediately into the action. What stands out is Kajo’s artwork.

At its best, “Trese” is unparalleled when it comes to the interplay of black and white. Kajo has a unique style that easily compensates for his lack in other areas, such as backgrounds. There’s a certain tension and terror in the artist’s technique that makes this a perfect title for the medium.

READ THE COMPLETE ARTICLE AT:

http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/sim/sim/view/20090517-205449/Meanwhile-fresh-from-the-drawing-board

must be read in that baritone movie trailer voice-over voice

THIS SUMMER...
... SEE TRESE
...LIKE YOU'VE NEVER SEEN HER BEFORE


... AT THE U.P. BAHAY NG ALUMNI


THE FLOOR PLAN : FIND US AT THE VISPRINT AND ALAMAT BOOTH


THE MAP: JUST IN CASE YOU STILL DON'T KNOW HOW TO GET THERE


KOMIKON SUMMER FIESTA 2009
UP Bahay ng Alumni, UP Diliman
May 16, 2009, 10am-8pm, Saturday
Entrance Fee: Php 50.00
http://komikon.blogspot.com/

The Thing that Lurked in Motel 26

Art by Bow Guerrero

See more Trese artwork at:
http://www.exhibit13.blogspot.com/

TRESE reviewed in COMICMIX

Thanks to Charles Tan, comic book reviewer and editor Andrew Wheeler got copies of Trese, Elmer, and Martial Law Babies and posted a review at: http://www.comicmix.com/news/2009/04/23/review-three-dispatches-from-the-philippines/

I think this was the first time TRESE got reviewed by a foreigner and it was interesting to see that the Filipino elements in the story didn't get in the way of the telling the tale. Here's the review:

Trese is an altogether more conventional series: it’s a contemporary dark fantasy with a nourish affect, both in art and story, about a young woman in Manila – Alexandra Trese – who’s called in by the police on supernatural cases. The plots are pretty standard for the genre, though Tan does tell them well, with a knack for tough dialogue and important confrontations.

But the art is gorgeously inky, with a sometimes scratchy intimacy and flow. And Alexandra Trese has a whole new world of supernatural entities to work with – vampires and werewolves and faeries and wendigos have been picked over for generations, but kambal and aswang, tikbalang and tiyanak, those are another story. Tan has an entirely different mythology to work with – one he and his original audience knows well, and which he explains just enough so that non-Filipinos can figure them out. But they’re still new and exciting, the way supernatural beings should be – they may have rules and restraints but we don’t know what those are.

So Alexandra Trese’s exploits are more exciting than even those of another tough female investigator with a mysterious past would be, even more intriguing than another story illustrated by Ka-Jo Baldismo would be. And these two volumes are already very good urban fantasy to begin with.

I won’t try to describe all of the stories here, but you know the general type – mysteries about the supernatural, with a heroine we slowly learn more about, a woman with a direct connection to these creatures herself…whatever the exact nature of that connection is. Tan tells those stories well, and Baldismo shows us that world, in black-and-white frames that look like a world illuminated by lightning.

a new story from The Diabolical

READ THE COMPLETE STORY AT:
http://diabolical13.blogspot.com/2009/04/coffee-black.html

TRESE in MANUAL

Book review: TRESE
Manual, December/January 2009 issue
RJ LEDESMA
http://rjledesma.net/

I hate Budjette Tan. Because he is living out my dream. No, no, not my dream of becoming a mutant porn star superhero millionaire. It's my other dream: To be a comic book writer. And, despite the fact that he has to struggle with a day job, Budjette still writes comic books.

READ THE COMPLETE REVIEW AT:
http://komix101.blogspot.com/2009/04/trese-reviews-in-manual-january-2009.html

TRESE in UNO

Trese 101

Couple of days ago, I noticed that this site was getting more visitors that usual. So, I got curious on where they were all coming from. One of the visitors landed on this site by jumping from: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pp190thr1/message/68

And to my surprise, I found out that a class in the University of the Philippines has decided to make TRESE part of their required reading list.

I wanted to attend the class, but was afraid I'd be ask to recite and might give the wrong answer. :)

TRESE 3000

3000 copies.

It’s not exactly enough to be considered a national best-seller, but it’s a big deal to me (and Kajo) since it’s the first time we’ve ever done anything that sold more than 500 copies.

It was such a big surprise when Nida, our publisher, told me that TRESE Book 1 had already sold 3,000 and is now on its second printing. (And Book 2 has already sold 1,000 copies.)

Thanks to all the comic book store owners, book store managers, and most especially to all readers.

Me and Kajo are still working on Book 3. It’s a bit delayed, we know, but we just want to make sure you have as much fun (and feel as much fear) when you read Case #9 to 13. We hope it’ll be worth the wait.


For the ones who are still trying to hunt down for their own copy of TRESE, it is now available in the following stores:

Best Sellers
Comic Odyssey
Comic Quest
Fully Booked
National Bookstore
Pandayan Bookstore
Powerbooks

If your local branch or favorite bookstore/comic book shop doesn't have copies, just go to their customer service counter and give them the following information:

1
TRESE: MURDER ON BALETE DRIVE
Published by Visprint
Authors: Budjette Tan & KaJo Baldisimo
ISBN: 971-92574-7-4

2
TRESE: UNREPORTED MURDERS
Published by Visprint
Authors: Budjette Tan & KaJo Baldisimo
ISBN: 971-92574-9-0

Tell the bookstore that they can reach Visprint via:
http://visprintpub.blogspot.com/
book_inquiry (@) visprint.net

Hope this makes it easier for you to find copies of TRESE.

Many thanks!

Fans of the Kambal

Melvin posted : "[This is] my nephew, Prince. He insisted on having his photo taken wearing one of the Kambal's masks. His fave is Case 7: Embrace of the Unwanted and he's still forcing me to shoot another short horror film cause he wasn't able to play the aswang part on the first one we made last year."

See more of Melvin Arciaga's work at:
http://vinarci.deviantart.com/

TRESE: The Usual Spot

Bernie the bartender is always the first one to see her. Actually, she’d be the one who’d call his attention. While wiping the bar or serving another customer, he’d suddenly feel this fingernail tap him on the shoulder. He’d smell her perfume first before he’d look and know it was her.

She’d just be there, seated on one of the bar stools in her jacket. Her jacket that had the color of dried rose petals. Or was it more like the color of dried blood?

Read the complete story at:
http://diabolical13.blogspot.com/

Ang Kambal ni Kevin

ART BY KEVIN SABINO

The Three Faces of Trese

BLOOD RED TRESE


Art by Kevin Sabino aka "Sir Kevin",Harrison Communications' Head of Art

Possible movie poster for Trese


Produced and photographed by Melvin Arciaga
http://vinarci.deviantart.com/art/TRESE-112202559


Possible look for TRESE : THE ANIMATED SERIES


Art by JP ARCEO
http://greathandjp.deviantart.com/art/Alexandra-Trese-111969917

More Trese artwork at:
http://www.exhibit13.blogspot.com/

Trese in FREE PRESS

Where Adam David writes about his Best Books of 2009 for the Philippine Free Press (January 10, 2009)



TRESE By Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo (Visprint)
A series of slick done-in-one stories, exactly like CSI, only it’s steeped in traditional Pinoy monsters and mythologies and the main protagonist is a goth chick with guns and emo hair. It’s a working off of the more common vein of action horror comic books and once you really read into it there is certainly a formula to the construction of the stories themselves. But Trese manages to rise above it all above it all by simply resorting to the most obvious thing: it spins us a good yarn page in page out. Tan and Baldisimo show us what can be done with formula, why formula work, how formula can work for you, all the while not making it seem like formula. Komikero all over should not only read this for the words and art but also study it for its craft as there is certainly craft at work here. There are currently two books out, both utterly smooth, available absolutely everywhere (with good reason).

a postcard from the dream king

Last Monday, got to work and saw this on my desk. It took me awhile to realize who sent it and when I did, my jaw dropped; which was the the reaction of the other people who saw the card. (They'd squint, try to read the signature, ask who sent it, flip the card, see the sender's name and their jaw would drop right beside my jaw)



Thanks so much for the nice copies
of Trese -- I can't wait!
They look amazing! --Neil Gaiman


And I had this silly smile on my face for the rest of the day.

TRESE: One Last Drink at the Diabolical

...Alexandra saw a new group stumble into the club. They were lead by a man who smiled at every girl that looked his way. His red jacket seemed to blaze in the crimson lights of the club.

He looked around and smiled even more. He liked what he saw.

He popped a cigarette in his mouth, placed his finger on the tip of the cigarette and a bright blue flame shot out to ignite his Malboro.

“Brim Yap Tan,” Trese cursed under her breath.

Read the complete story at:
http://diabolical13.blogspot.com/