TRESE: The Choir

“They just kept coming back, night after night। And every night, it seemed like there would be more kids, enough to fill up the front gate of the house; all of them singing `Silent Night` like it was the saddest song in the world. And every night, I’d see her –the girl in the red dress. She’d look at me, as if she wanted to tell me something, but had this great need to sing this song, to finish the song and maybe if she did finish the song she tell me that thing that she wanted to tell me, but she just never gets the chance to do so.

Read the complete story at: http://diabolical13.blogspot.com/2008/12/trese-choir.html

Trese tangles with Anansi Girl

Now online! GEEKS ARE EVIL: THE TRESE EPISODE! Hosted by Anansi Girl. Co-hosted by Charles Tan.

Hear me and Kajo babble about Trese! Discover the secret origin of Kajo's name! Hear Kajo's voice (which disappeared when we were being interviewed on ANC... hehehe). Find out if we'll tell you the secret origin of the Kambal (we don't, actually). Listen if we'll tell you what happens in Trese: Book3! (Maybe, we will.)

Download the episode at:
http://blog.literature-ph.com/?p=511

Whilce Portacio talks about TRESE

An AZ VIDEO BLOG : Whilce Portacio's message to pinoy komikeros

From the video:
The first topic is comments on Filipino Komiks … on what’s been happening in the local scene lately. I have to say I’ve been very proud of what been happening lately with books like Zsazsa Zaturnnah and the reaction its gotten from the Philippine society as a whole.

And I’m extremely proud of, for instance, Trese. … when I was in the Philippines and I was introduced to this ghost-hunter subculture in the Philippines, I was enthralled by that. And I always thought someone should who take that world, those people, and show the world what’s that really like.

I believe Budj and Kajo have done an exquisite job of giving us that slice of life, of that world, that what that subculture in the Philppines is like, and I believe once that gets known with world gets to know that, they’re just going to go crazy.


FROM : http://whilcefriends.blogspot.com/
Trese... is one of the best ongoing books in that market. It is the book I would love to write myself...about Filipinos in the Philippines and all doing purely Filipino things in Filipino ways. They capture the true atmosphere of the Manila I know and love.

TRESE reviewed by the Tres Komikeros

EJ, Alex, John have already produced and uploaded 12 episodes of their comic book review show. Really great that the guy decided to review TRESE in this episode. Many thanks!

Download the show at:
http://treskomikeros.wordpress.com/2008/12/05/tres-komikeros-14/

TRESE: Enter Stage Right

Will the real Trese please stand up.

Melvin Arciaga's TRESE production
http://vinarci.deviantart.com/



This is a scene from TRESE: THE TRAGIC CASE OF DR.BURGOS.
It's amazing how they recreated the panel.
They even have the same bottles/jars in the background.



Mica's version of TRESE
http://delurianne.deviantart.com/


Ernie,Lady, and Greg




Li'l Trese (MOLINA FAMILY! COME ON DOWN!!!)



Who's your favorite TRESE? :)

Thanks to the cosplayers who took the time to comb their hair and dress up and bring our characters to life. Maybe when we launch the third book next year, you can all come and have a dance showdown!!!

TRESE at Komikon 2008

The great thing about having insomnia the day before a big event is that at least you’re awake to get to the event on time. With only two hours sleep, I actually got to the UP Bahay ng Alumni at 9am. (Kajo didn’t sleep at all and arrived a couple of minutes after I got there.)

Before we set up at the Visprint table, I asked Syeri if we could give away some Alamat comic books (as a way to commemorate 14 years of Alamat Comics). She said yes and I brought down four boxes (14 years worth of unsold Alamat Comics) and said they could give it away to everyone who came to the Komikon. (Well, it wasn’t really 14 years of unsold comics, more like 4 years worth. We gave away copies of Batch72, Indigo Valley, Tattooed, TKS:The Kill Stalker, 3 copies of ARCHON, 2 copies of EXODUS, and a partridge in a pair tree.)

An hour or so later, we were set-up at the Visprint table and Team Skyworld (with Ian, Mervin, and Shali) was set-up at the Alamat table. They were joined by Paolo Fabregas, who has a sneak preview to his upcoming comic book FILIPINO HEROES LEAGUE. Paolo introduces us to the government sponsored Pinoy super team that is now not sponsored by the government.

Ian & Mervin had a sneak preview of their next book SKYWORLD: TESTAMENT. The unlettered pages can be seen at: http://iantoy.deviantart.com/gallery/

We had free Trese posters for all the people who bought copies earlier in the day.

By the end of the day, we were surprised that we already sold all 100 copies of TRESE. (We apologize to the last two guys who came to the table wanting to buy a set. Hope you were able to find a copy of Trese 2.)

THANKS TO EVERYONE! We do hope you can give us feedback on Trese, Skyworld, The Last Datu, Kadiliman, and The Filipino Heroes League.

Another surprise we got was Mica, who cosplayed Trese and we got to pose with our creation.
Mica and Wilson “Wolverine” Tortosa shot a Trese mystery at the Komikon and can be viewed at:
http://batangbatugan.multiply.com/photos/album/10/A_Summoning_At_Komikon_2008#

And at:
http://delurianne.deviantart.com/



Quote of the day:
“I hate you! I read Trese (Our Secret Constellation) and it made me cry!”—Oscar

You’re welcome.

It was great to meet finally meet the people who you've only talked to online, the artists who've contributed to Exhibit 13, the bloggers who've reviewed the book, the readers who collected the original/photocopies editions of Trese. Thank you for all coming over. Very happy that we finally got to meet.

In between the signing and the selling (and the sweating), it was also great that I got to talk to some of the guys (usually while standing in front of the giant aircon unit or by the doorway, trying to catch some fresh air). It was chance to catch up, talk about comics, about future projects, the projects that got delayed, and crazy ideas for next year.

Special thanks to the EK-gang for coming to the Komikon. Hope you like the titles that you got!

More pictures swiped from the blogs people we met that day.


Greco M, creator of Aha Hule Komiks
http://ahahulekomiks.blogspot.com/


Azrael, http://azraelsmerryland.blogspot.com/



Andrew Villar, creator of Ambush
http://ambush007.multiply.com/

Also got to meet the Philippines’ first puppet rock star GORGORO!!!
He was distributing his comic book, which contained his not-so-secret origin.
Must watch Gorgoro’s next gig!

http://animalismydad.blogspot.com

TRESE in Manila Bulletin

Trese gets lucky
by Ronald S. Lim

Manila Bulletin, Youth & Campus Section

In the world of Alexandra Trese, heroine of the comic book series "Trese," there are many things that go bump in the streets of Manila whenever darkness falls, and the city’s enthusiastic club-goers only make up a small portion of it. Manananggals, tiyanaks, tikbalangs, and duwendes make their presence felt when the lights go out, and it is Alexandra Trese’s job to keep them in line.

This alternate Manila where the creatures of Philippine mythology roam free and wreak havoc on the lives of ordinary Filipinos is the creation of the team of writer Budjette Tan and illustrator Kajo Baldisimo. Members of opposing ad agencies who knew each other because of their shared love for comics, the two decided to start "Trese" in June 2005.

Read the complete interview at:

http://www.mb.com.ph/issues/2008/11/01/YTCP20081101139546.html

TRESE in Philippine Star

‘Trese’ comics are a worthy homage to Monsters, Mythology and Metro Manila.
by J. Vincent Sarabia Ong
Philippine Star : SUPREME

The spell both Budjette and his partner Kajo cast comes not from their influences mentioned in past interviews like the comic book “Planetary” or “Twilight Zone” but rather from Neil Gaiman’s “Sandman.” The heroine Trese calmly interrogates a rich dragon man who is heir to a Chinese mall empire and in another panel seeks help from a Quiapo merchant who can talk to cats. The world of “Trese” is a place where you must suspend your disbelief and accept that crime has taken a weird turn as the authors describe it.

Read the complete review at:
http://supreme.ph/2008/11/01/trese-a-haunting-homage/

Trick or Treat!

Yesterday was the agency's annual Halloween Trick-or-Treat Party for the kids. Greg and Ernie decided to dress up as the Kambal. They couldn't get any of the girls to come dressed as Trese, but they were able to ask Lady to pose with them for one picture.

(Now, if I can only convince them to attend the Komikon, other events, and my birthday party.)

TRESE in Sindak

MEET THE `TRESE` CREATORS
By Athena Fregillana, Pictures by Paul Del Rosario
This interview originally saw print in the SINDAK Horror-Thriller Magazine(April 2006 issue). Originally written in Filipino, I translated it into English for our international readers.

Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo are part of a new generation of comic creators who are trying to save our almost lifeless comic book industry. How did the TRESE series start and why is this being considered one of the famous Pinoy komiks today?

Read the compete interview at:
komix101.blogspot.com

TRESE in Friendster

Check it out! It's the TRESE-Friendster Fan Page put together by the wonderful KOMIKON crew and the friendly people at FRIENDSTER.

So, if you want to also hang out at Alexandra Trese's Diabolical club and become the ka-Friendster of the Kambal and Hank the Bartender, then just click on:
http://profiles.friendster.com/85588277

See you at...
KOMIKON 2008
http://komikon.blogspot.com/
Ika-4 Filipino Komiks Convention
November 22, 2008 (10 a.m. to 8 p.m.)
UP Bahay ng Alumni, Diliman Quezon City
Entrance Fee: Php 50

TRESE in Sunday Inquirer Magazine

Supernatural Storytelling
By Ruel S. De Vera, Philippine Daily Inquirer, October 12. 2008



MANILA, Philippines -Almost from the very beginning, Budjette Tan has been surrounded by the unusual. “When I was a newborn baby, my parents moved into what turned out to be a haunted house,” he explains. “The ghosts were seen by my yaya and my uncles. My parents didn’t believe in such things, until one summer day after my mom gave me a bath. She said the right side of my face suddenly wrinkled up—that it looked like the face of an old man. She prayed over me until I became normal again.” Psychics were summoned and a séance held. “The psychics told the spirits that they had to move on to the next plane. The haunting stopped after some time.”

Even Tan did not know that something similarly spooky would redefine his life later on. With him doing the writing and Kajo Baldisimo providing the art, Tan came up with “Trese,”a comic book series that follows mysterious investigator Alexandra Trese as she helps the police solve unearthly crimes in Metro Manila—sometimes with some direct action from Trese and her bizarre bodyguards, the Kambal.

READ THE COMPLETE INTERVIEW AT:http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/sim/sim/view/20081012-165981/Supernatural-Storytelling

Trese in FHM

No... it's not what you think.

Trese did not appear in the nude.

Trese also did not allow herself to be interviewed (but I think the Kambal were more than willing to attend the Jean Garcia photo shoot).

In the October issue of FHM, Marc Laurenze put together a Halloween alphabet of sorts and Trese was featured under the letter "U" for Underworld.

Thanks Marc!

Trese in PLANET X

We were recently invited to be part of the opening of the PLANET X comic book store.

See the pictures at:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/budjette/sets/72157607535118742/

TRESE: UNREPORTED MURDERS

TRESE: UNREPORTED MURDERS

When dusk arrives in the city of Manila, that’s when you become
the most likely prey of the criminal underworld.

Kidnappers and thieves will be the least of your worries.

Beware the criminals that can’t be bound with handcuffs nor harmed with bullets.

Beware the ones that crave for your blood, those who hold your heart ransom, and the ones that come to steal your soul.

When crime takes a turn for the weird, the police call Alexandra Trese.

This volume of contains the following:
(click on the links for a FREE preview of the stories)
Case 5: A Little Known Murder in Studio 4
Case 6: The Outpost on Kalayaan Street
Case 7: Embrace of the Unwanted
Case 8: The Association Dues of Livewell Village


With an introduction by author David Hontiveros and an afterword by columnist/vampire/pirate Karen Kunawicz.

Also contains a new EXHIBIT 13 art gallery with illustrations by Leinil Francis Yu, Reinard Santos, Ian Sta. Maria, Carlo Vergara, Chester Ocampo, Hai Ibardolaza, Bong Leal, Jonas Diego, Elbert Or, Oliver Pulumbarit, Reno Maniquis, Freely Abrigo, Marco Dimaano.

TRESE: UNREPORTED MURDERS
Published by Visual Print Enterprises
Written by Budjette Tan & Art by KaJo Baldisimo
ISBN: 971-92574-9-0
B&W comic book
SRP: P140.00

NOW AVAILABLE in Pandayan Bookstores, Best Sellers booksore, Comic Quest, and Comic Odyssey, National Bookstore, Powerbooks, and Fully Booked. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO.


NOTE: in case the copy you got has faulty binding, click here to find out how you can have it replaced with a new one http://tresekomix.blogspot.com/2010/06/how-to-replace-copies-of-trese-with.html


TRESE:UNREPORTED MURDERS by Ferdinand-Benedict G. Tan and Jonathan Baldisimo is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Philippines License

TRESE Case #8 (preview pages)

TRESE: The Association Dues of Livewell Village

page 1


page 2


page 3


page 4


page 5


Read the complete story in
http://tresekomix.blogspot.com/2010/10/trese-association-dues-of-livewell.html

TRESE: UNREPORTED MURDERS
which contains the following:
Case 5: A Little Known Murder in Studio 4
Case 6: The Outpost on Kalayaan Street
Case 7: Embrace of the Unwanted
Case 8: The Association Dues of Livewell Village

TRESE: UNREPORTED MURDERS is now available in some stores.
Click the link below for details:
http://visprint.multiply.com/journal/item/27/TRESE_2_out_now

By mid-September, the new book should be available nationwide in your local book store / comic book shop. Make sure they order a copy for you by giving them the following details:

TRESE: UNREPORTED MURDERS
Published by Visual Print Enterprises
Written by Budjette Tan & Art by KaJo Baldisimo
ISBN: 971-92574-9-0
B&W comic book
SRP: P140.00

TRESE spotting

Sorry for the late update, but here's a quick re-cap of where me and Kajo have been in the past couple of months.

VPE's Book Day



Photos from Visual Print's 9-in-1 Kolektib Intelidyens Book Day
http://visprint.multiply.com/photos/album/2/9-in-1_Kolektib_Intelidyens#

Team TRESE at Mangaholix

Photo by Marco Dimaano

KA-JO AT MANGAHOLIX



BUDJETTE AT COMIC ODYSSEY'S FREE COMIC BOOK DAY

Picture swiped from:
http://thesitdowncomic.blogspot.com/
Thanks Ricky!

So, this blog will see some activity in the next couple of days.

In case you don't see anything new here, you can see what I'm babbling about at:
http://twitter.com/Budjette, which is where I sometimes give quickie updates about where to find TRESE.

And by the way, I got a great surprise today when I visit Visprint's blog and saw that TRESE: UNREPORTED MURDERS is now available in some stores. More details at: http://visprint.multiply.com/journal/item/27/TRESE_2_out_now

Meanwhile ... at the Mall of Asia

This Saturday, you will find us lurking around:
Mangaholix Manga Mania '08
May 31, 2008, Saturday
SMX Convention Center
Seashell Drive, Mall of Asia Complex,
Pasay City, Philippines

I think they have plans of dragging us up on stage to talk about Trese and the Kambal.

TRESE: MURDER ON BALETE DRIVE will also be available at the Mangaholix table.

(We might come in costume. I will be the Fat Kambal and Kajo will be the Thin Kambal.)

Hope to see you there!

VPE's Prime Suspects

9-in-1 VPE Kolektib Intelidyens

9 of VPE’s great page masters will come together in this 1 sizzling event.

The three-hour meet and greet event will showcase our published books, upcoming titles, and the people behind them. A short talk by the editor and some extraordinary presentations will highlight the program.

featuring :
carlo vergara
david hontiveros
manix abrera
freely abrigo
eros atalia
alan navarra
budjette tan
kajo baldisimo
carlos malvar

Avid readers, fans and followers, publishing partners, writers aspiring to get published under the VPE name, and curious cats are all invited to grace the event.

See you on Saturday!

9-in-1 VPE Kolektib Intelidyens
May 24, 2008
3pm
Shop 33, Cubao Expo

TRESE (The Inquirer Review)

Spook Out Sister By Ruel S. De Vera / Philippine Daily Inquirer
READ THE COMPLETE REVIEW AT: http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/you/expressions/view/20080425-132699/Spook-Out-Sister

“My name is Alexandra Trese. I am nothing like my father.” Her father Anton dabbled in affairs mystical and mysterious; she—called “Little Trese” fondly and otherwise—has inherited his gift for the eerily unorthodox, with a difference. It is to her that Manila’s police turn when a crime scene confounds them, because there is no one like Alexandra Trese.

Stepping resolutely apart from the crowd of the commonplace, “Trese: Murder on Balete Drive” by Budjette Tan and KaJo Baldisimo (Visual Print Enterprises, Pasay City, 2008, 100 pages) is a graphic novel that stands apart from what has come before.

....

Tan provides a suitably street-level feel to the dark happenings, producing plots that feel like Warren Ellis’ Planetary, Mike Mignola’s Hellboy and Chris Carter’s The X-Files all melded together and contained in a fully realized Metro Manila avatar. “That will be the least of your problems,” the fascinating Alexandra Trese barks. “As the universe seeks balance, so does the underworld.” Full of sharp characterization and suspenseful revelations, “Trese” is clearly Tan’s best work, a transcendent product of modern spookiness.



There are some creations that really are better in black-and-white, and “Trese” is one of them. Baldisimo’s moody art, full of negative space, speed lines, a black grid and sharp angles, enthralls the reader.

.....

The elements present in the fortuneteller’s brew that is “Trese” are not new, but the seamless communion of Tan and Baldisimo’s talents imbues “Murder” with a palpable energy. Every few years, a completed Filipino-crafted graphic novel emerges from the mist to take its place among the work of greats such as Mars Ravelo and the Redondo brothers: Gerry Alanguilan’s “Wasted,” Arnold Arre’s “The Mythology Class” and Carlo Vergara’s “Ang Kagila-gilalas na Pakikipagsapalaran ni Zsazsa Zaturnnah,” in particular.

With a subtle glint of eldritch metal and a mystery woman’s steely relentlessness, “Trese: Murder on Balete Drive” by Budjette Tan and KaJo Baldisimo joins that potent pantheon, something that emerged burning brilliantly from the shadowy streets we assumed we knew so well.



TRESE: MURDER ON BALETE DRIVE
Budjette Tan & KaJo Baldisimo
Published by: Visual Print Enterprises
ISBN: 971-92574-7-4
B&W comic book
SRP: P140.00

Now available in Comic Quest, Comic Odyssey, National Bookstore, Powerbooks, Fully Booked, and Pandayan Books.

TRESE can also be ordered via the National Bookstore website. Click on the link below:
http://nationalbookstore.com/shop/products.asp?merchant_code=NBS&categ=95&product=19157