Anthology: Trese ~ Book 1: Murder On Balete Drive

Story by: Budjette Tan

Illustration by: Kajo Baldisimo

Alamat Comics

Visprint, Inc.

(4.25/5 ★★★★☆)

"When the sun sets in the city of Manila,

don't you dare make a wrong turn

and end up in that dimly-lit side of the metro,

where aswang run the most-wanted kidnapping rings,

where kapre are the kingpins of crime,

and engkantos slip through the cracks

and steal your most precious possessions,

When crime takes a turn for the weird,

the police call Alexandra Trese."

The Good:

Trese is a great masterpiece done by an excellent writer and an incredible artist.

Who knew that our Filipino creatures would also adapt with the changing times. The best example among them is the Nuno sa Manhole.

There's a lot of great elements here but the best story, or case, would be the 4th case. Tan gave a wonderful homage to a well known Filipino superhero. The last panels of that case poetically ends with so much love and care.

The Bad:

No matter how incredible the story and art seems to be, it is a disservice to see how the layout was done. A reader cannot fully appreciate Kajo's illustrations. It is because some details of his art were at the edge of the panels which in turn were seen to be near the spine of the book.

The spell done on the 1st case, which was written in Baybayin like characters, could have been better if it was an actual word written in Baybayin.

A typo can also be seen on Case 3, in the scene where Oriol is in the bathtub.

The Verdict:

This comic is a gem that stands among the great number of komiks the Philippines has produced. The "Trese universe" presents to us fresh eyes of what our Philippine mythology creatures could be doing in our present time. An investigation of the paranormal world is unleashed in this cases.

Tan and Kajo paints the Philippine society as a society that has not changed despite the advancement in technology. Despite our history being slightly touched, such as the Bukidnon Massacre and the Great Binondo Fire, the same injustices and inequalities remains the same to this day.

This comic book is heading towards a great future. Trese shines brightly like the first star that you would see at night.

"But these aswang are the blood thirsty and stupid kind."

More information about the Trese comic can be seen at:

http://tresekomix.blogspot.com

 

* Breakdown of Rating:

★☆☆☆☆ -

★★☆☆☆ -

★★★☆☆ -

★★★★☆ - Case 1, Case 2, Case 3

★★★★★ - Case 4

Comics: Josef Miggy & Yaya Karol ~ Issue 1 (of 4)

Story by: Budjette Tan

Illustrated by: Rysa Antonio and Kajo Baldisimo

Alamat Comics

(5/5 ★★★★★)

The Plot:

A kidnapping happened in front of Josef and Yaya Karol. Gifted with super powers, Josef Miggy a.k.a. Kid Kilowattz and Yaya Karol a.k.a. Dark Cloud, rescues Louie from his abductors. Will they be able to get Louie back? Will they finish all of this and still be in time for Josef's grandmother's birthday?

The Good:

This comic cleared the questions, from Josef Miggy & Yaya Karol ~ Super Secret Adventures, on whether their super powers were real or imaginary.

The illustrations and story still looks great. It maintained that tone that makes this comic to be kid friendly. The best example would be attack moves labeled as Electro Blaster and Sonic Boom Sigaw.

The Bad:

Now that the question on whether or not Josef Miggy and Yaya Karol had super powers were answered. The next question would then be regarding the origin of their powers. Since this is just the first of the four part series, we'll just have to wait on how the creators would tell the origin of their powers.

The Verdict:

A lot of things have been subtly mentioned for the future plot of this mini series as different antagonists and item were mentioned in this 1st issue. Who knows, maybe this story is part of the Trese universe that Tan and Baldisimo had built. Especially since this was marked as an Alamat Comics. A lot of events could happen, such as possible crossovers of characters or the recognition that they too belong to the universe where the guardian of the city wields a Sinag as the choice of weapon and is often protected by two demigods.

Josef Miggy & Yaya Karol's kid friendly story smoothly entered the Alamat universe that is often toned to be very dark.

"If only we had a real magic word to yell this would be easier!

Saying "Ula-Ula-Ula-Pow!" just makes me sound silly!" - Yaya Karol

Comics: Josef Miggy & Yaya Karol ~ Super Secret Adventures

Inks and Pencils by: Rysa Antonio

Story by: Budjette Tan

Inks and Backgrounds by: Kajo Baldisimo

Alamat Comics

(5/5 ★★★★★)

The Plot:

Super Secret Adventures is about Josef Miggy and his nanny's, Yaya Karol, adventures. A story between a nanny and the child she watches over as they live out their "super powers" with still enough time to do all the household chores.

The Good:

The diary type of story telling looks great in the illustrations of Super Secret Adventures. The illustrations matches the story perfectly. Refraining from illustrating a very detailed background and by simply focusing on things that matter most to the story, it gives the required tone for this comic to be enjoyed by young readers.

The Bad:

The story does not explain itself much if what we're seeing are the lives of two humans with super powers or if they still belong to the imagination of the child. The scene wherein Josef hopes his parents would know that he is Kid Kilowattz and that he has been a big help in lowering their electricity bill are just some of the scenes that would arouse curiosity if the child indeed has super powers or not.

The Verdict:

Alamat Comics surprises us with this child oriented comic due to the light tone that was made to the illustrations. A story about a child and his nanny, Josef Miggy and Yaya Karol is sure to hit the hearts of most people, especially those whose love and care during their childhood years were filled up by their nannies.

Comics: Skyworld ~ Volume 2

Story by: Mervin Ignacio

Illustrated by: Ian Sta. Maria

Edited by: Budjette Tan

Rated: For Mature Readers

Alamat Comics

National Book Store Inc.

(5/5 ★★★★★)

"Every legend hides a lie

The Queen of the Asuang and her legion

have taken over the country

Alexandra Trese leads the resistance

along-side Makabo, a Tikbalang warrior,

and Kaio, a Duwende trickster.

Trapped in their epic battle is Andoy,

a teenage boy tasked with uniting an army

of Tikbalang, Enkanto, Kapre and Duwende

against, the Asuang.

But before he can lead them, he must

first recover a mystical sword

that was once part of

the fabled Yamashita Treasure."

The Good:

No doubt the story and the illustrations remains to be great and even better in this 2nd volume of Skyworld. The creators of Skyworld took us even further as we were reintroduced to familiar stories and characters. Stories re-envisioned through their own retelling, like the 40 days and 40 nights of flood story and the story of Malakas and Maganda were appealing enough to make you forget how they were originally told. We were also given a treat as famous individuals, such as the U.S. President Barrack Obama and General Tomoyuki Yamashita, makes an appearance.

Crossovers of characters from other Alamat comics continue to persist as Kadasig joins the team of Andoy in battling Rianka in Manila.

Every panel was great to read since none of them bear any text that was near to the spine of the book.

The Bad:

I'm not sure if this is a typo or it was written as such but on page 30 it can be seen that it says, "It was Treses's idea to evacuate everyone here when war broke out." It may appear that it does not only refer to Alexandra Trese but it could also allude to her brothers as well. It would have been mind blowing to see the creators of Skyworld do a crossover of all the Trese siblings in this story.

The Verdict:

The third and fourth books, Prodigal and Requiem respectively, in volume 2 of Skyworld brings all their game for the conclusion of the story in Rianka's takeover of the Philippines. An exhausting climax, unforeseeable twists, a last minute suspense and the surprise ending, the creators of Skyworld has indeed created their own Philippine legend with this book.

One of the Philippine's finest graphic novel that tackles very well our culture, from our legends up to our history. Skyworld takes us to a journey wherein stories we had heard and read from our childhood are revisited and re-imagined. Ignacio and Sta. Maria has indeed created a masterpiece that will be among those that will be cited if your looking for a great Philippine comic book.

"Imagine if you can - hordes of asuang, prowling the streets of Tokyo, climbing the Eifel tower, walking up the White House lawn!" 

More of Skyworld can be seen at:

Facebook Page: "Skyworld"

The illustrator can be seen on:

http://iantoy.deviantart.com

 

Comics: Skyworld ~ Volume 1

Story by: Mervin Ignacio

Illustrated by: Ian Sta. Maria

Edited by: Budjette Tan

Rated: For Mature Readers

Alamat Comics

National Bookstore Inc.

(4/5 ★★★★☆)

"Every legend hides a lie

A murdered Skygod

re-emerges in modern-day Manila.

A Tikbalang prince plots vengeance

for the death of his father.

And the Queen of the Asuang

unleashes the mythical Bakunawa

upon the street of the city.

Caught in their age-old struggle is Andoy,

a crippled orphan that discovers

he is the fulfillment of a prophecy

dating back to Lapu-lapu himself."

The Good:

The illustrations and the story are great. Skyworld takes us to the story of the Skygod Kaptan as his rise and fall was shown to have affected our history. The battle of Mactan was depicted to have another version, which was written by Antonio Pigafetta himself. However, that version was quickly destroyed and the battle that took place that was accepted was the one we had come to know today.

It was nice seeing the Trese universe mixed in this story. The Diabolical was first presented before Trese and the kambal appeared on the panels. References to the Soulbook, Agimat, Underpass, Alamat ni Maria, and Bayan Knights were nicely hidden on a bookshelf on some panels.

The Bad:

Despite all the good things that was read and seen in the story, it still posses the layout which I don't like. It contain pages that have texts that are hard to read since they are almost near to the binding of the book. That is one of the biggest things that I don't like in a comic book.

The Verdict:

The two books, Apocrypha and Testament, compiled in volume 1 of Skyworld were greatly told. This is a story that mixes both our Philippine mythology and history to give us a wonderful reading experience. Social commentaries, such as regarding the governance of our former President, was inserted with wit.

Skyworld is one among the Philippine comics that was done right in delivering a story of substance. One that deserves to be read by the current generation. This 1st volume can definitely rock Manila as asuangs take over the capital city of the country.

"You don't see us, but we can see you."

More of Skyworld can be seen at:

Facebook Page: "Skyworld"

The illustrator can be seen on:

http://iantoy.deviantart.com

 

Comics: Mang Jose: Ang Superhero-ng Naniningil! ~ Issue 1

Story by: Gabriel Chee Kee

Pencils by: Ace Enriquez

Inks and Color by: Allan Burdeos with Carina Altomonte-Burdeos

Alamat Comics
(2/5 ★★☆☆☆)

The Plot:

White haired? Old age? These does not stop a superhero from being of service to his fellowmen. All these he does for a price of course.

The Good:

The comedic personality of this old superhero would make us smile as he goes on to fulfill his duty.

The years of waiting for this superhero that comes with a bill from Alamat Comics definitely lands a good spot in our to buy list. The illustrations are well drawn in which we get some bonus pin ups from Ian Sta. Maria and Chito Miranda. That is really awesome to see.

The Bad:

An old aged superhero. A villain with glowing eyes. After Komikon 2014, you might associate these words with a different superhero who is also from Alamat Comics. Having a protagonist and antagonist with the same set of characteristics as the comics Sixty Six makes you wonder of how the story of Mang Jose will keep on getting your attention in terms of the overall story. Having Sixty Six establish itself first, who is currently on its 3rd chapter of the story, Mang Jose needs to be able to create its own path that would not set us looking for more similarities from the other series.

The Verdict:

Mang Jose is an enjoyable superhero who entertains us with his nice comedic lines while in action.

Even though Mang Jose was the first to tease us from Alamat Comics, we might soon loose the hype due to the storyline of Sixty Six who got ahead and is now on its 3rd chapter of the story. The next issue of Mang Jose must be able to maintain to raise the hype for its superhero.

It is still too early to speak of Mang Jose's retirement but his bill must be worth it to continue following him in the next issues.

More of Mang Jose can be seen at:

Facebook Page: "Mang Jose"

Comics: Sixty Six ~ Chapter 3

Story by: Russel Molina

Illustrated by: Ian Sta. Maria

Alamat Comics

Anino Comics
(4/5 ★★★★☆)

 

The Plot:

Upon discovering his superpower, Mang Tino takes on punishing the bad guys with his bare hands. As a senior citizen, who knew that he could wield so much strength. That is until he is observed by a leader of a group whose members have glowing eyes. This issue ends with Donat speeding up his wheelchair to the scene of the crime.

The Good:

We are now given a villain whose powers can be of a match against our sixty-six year old superhero.

The letters being sent to Mang Tino at the end of every issue becomes interesting. In this issue it would be great to know what really took place wherein Ella was involved. It could be a great plot for this series.

The cover for the third issue looks great even though it is a simple black illustration of Mang Tino standing with his hands on his waist.

The Bad:

Mostly it is the copy of this issue that is a big thumbs down. The story and illustrations were great. The quality just suffered as a result of the poor printing of this comic. It lowered the value of this comic. Because the way it was photocopied was like it came from an old photocopying machine.

The Verdict:

Despite the poor quality of this issue due to the poor photocopier or printer, it continues to intrigue us about this senior citizen who recently got his super powers. As the villain is slowly introduced in this issue, it would also be nice if the letters at the end of every issue could somehow tie up to the plot of this series.

Chapter 3 of Sixty Six gives us our local take on a superhero disguised thru his old age. A superhero who drops off the cape and puts on a cap instead.

"Kumpleto nga kayo, saksakan naman ng duwag!

May lakas nga kayo, di niyo naman ginagamit!" - Donat

More of Sixty Six can be seen at:

Facebook Page: "Sixty Six"

They can be contacted at:

Russel Molina

russmolina@gmail.com

Ian Sta. Maria

iamiansm@yahoo.com

   

Comics: Mang Jose: Ang Superhero-ng Naniningil! (Preview)

Story by: Gabriel Chee Kee

Pencil by: Ace Enriquez

Inks by: Allan Burdeos with Carina Altomonte

Alamat Comics

As the Ber months start, Winter Komikon 2014 will just be around the corner as an early Christmas gift to most comic lovers.

Having that in mind, a nice flashback to some of my previous purchases led me into discovering once again a comic preview from Alamat Comics.

The preview of Mang Jose: Ang Superhero-ng Naniningil! contains a short teaser of the story and some sketches. It also features a nice pin-up sketch by Raymund Bermudez.

The story looks promising. The only problem is that this preview copy that I have is around 2 years old. I just wonder if this story will finally be released in the upcoming Komikon.

Comics: Precinto 13 ~ Calling The Parents Of A Little Girl In A Blue Dress

Story by: Budjette Tan

Illustrated by: Atan

Alamat Comics
(5/5 ★★★★★)

Precinto 13 shares the same universe with the Trese universe. It features short stories of cases that involves the paranormal.

The case presents the story of Tracy, the little girl in a blue dress that got lost in Robertson Mall. The story shows how the little girl is usually ignored and shouted at by her parents. She then got lost in a mall and is held under the temporary custody of the mall security until she is picked up by her parents. However, when two groups of adults shows up claiming to be her parents, she did not pick her dad and instead chose two parental figures who showered her with hugs and concern as they got to her first. The story ends with Tracy's parents asking for help from Capt. Guerrero to find her.

This is a nice story that could be a wake up call for some parents. Since Tracy's story can be heard and seen once in a while from kids who prefers to hangout with their friends rather than be at home. They do this since they are always just ignored or shouted at. What she had done in choosing a total stranger who gave her love and care from the first time they had just met is not far from the reality to some of the cases being reported on the local news.

As usual, Budjette shows his great writing abilities in giving us this story from Precinto 13. It is just a strange feeling for me that this comic is drawn by a different artist since I'm just accustomed that it is usually KaJo who draws stories from the Trese universe. But I don't have any negative remarks for Atan. I liked how he had drawn this comic most especially the cover.

I think no amount of praise will ever be sufficient since I know that stories that are part of the Trese universe is going to be worth the purchase.

More stories from Precinto 13 can be seen at:

http://tresekomix.blogspot.com/search/label/Precinto13

Comics: Trese 6 (Preview)

Story by: Budjette Tan

Illustration by: KaJo Baldisimo

Alamat Comics
(5/5 ★★★★★)

Even though this is just a preview for the next installment of Trese 6, Budjette and KaJo gives us a short comic that is still worth to hold on until the complete one is released. In this preview, we are introduced to the same stuff, Manila's surroundings and its problems with the paranormal, however, we are finally given a glimpse of one of Alexandra Trese's brothers. Carlos Trese is presented here in which the underworld knows of him as "The Verdugo" and to some as "Uno the Hunter". 

His character is introduced finally here after just a few notations of him in the previous cases in the Trese series. In this preview, I can sense that a huge plot awaits us. A big battle may be emerging in this 6th book. I'm guessing it being the 6th book, a huge plot will be brought upon us in connection to Alexandra being the 6th child of the 6th child. Well with this story as a glimpse into that book, one thing will be sure and that is that many surprises awaits us in Trese 6.

Among other things in the preview of the 6th book, I just noticed a minor error. On page B of the preview, in the frame wherein JanJan's cellphone screen is shown. I think that the last message might have been from her teacher, thus it being a message which she received, it should have been placed in the left side and not on the right. Well it's just one thing that I had observed and I may be wrong about its placement, but hey its still a good read.

 

An interesting addition to this preview can be found on the back side of the comic. The Trese creators has managed to give us two stories by its inclusion of "Stories from the Diabolical." The story is presented thru Hank's character on how and what the "Diabolical" encounters daily. The story presented here is entitled "The Choir" which talks about a man in the denim jacket, a new customer of the Diabolical, and the strange experiences he has been getting lately in his aunt's apartment. He says that he was always woken up in the wee hours of the night by kids singing "Silent Night". This continued for nights with the number of kids increasing but as soon as he steps out of the gate to give them money for their beautiful voice in caroling they just disappear.

Well it was nice for Budjette and KaJo to also have made this story printed. The story "The Choir" apparently was actually put up online on December 24, 2008 with Elbert Or back then to do the illustrations. It would be nice for them to have these stories compiled up and be printed for avid fans of the Trese comics.

For the Trese fans out there, well done if you managed to get this preview. I can say that this will be a great addition to our collection. Kudos to Sir Budjette and KaJo for opening us to Trese's world. We, Trese and soon to be Trese fans, awaits for the release of Trese 6 and maybe if possible we can have a copy or a preview of the shortfilm Trese: Case One that was made by a group of DLSU students as their thesis film. Well it would be great if there were a CD copy. Hoping that all of us would be able to see it on the next Komikon.

Note: Some of the images were taken from the net, while the others were just a photo from my copy since I couldn't find them uploaded on the internet.

More information about the Trese Comic can be seen at:

www.tresekomix.blogspot.com

More stories from the diabolical can be seen at:

www.diabolical13.blogspot.com

Comics: The Filipino Heroes League ~ Book Two: The Sword

Story and Illustration by: Paolo Fabregas

Edited by: Budjette Tan and Miren Alvarez-Fabregas

Cover Design and Chapter Covers by: Ian Sta. Maria

Alamat Comics
VISPRINT
(5/5 ★★★★★)

"In a final desperate move to cling to power amid the scandal of the Opposition Assassinations, President Reyes declares Martial Law.

The Filipino Heroes League believe that by doing so the President has fallen into a carefully laid trap constructed by the Torch and his cronies.

Before the President falls even deeper into the Touch's schemes, the FHL draw up a desperate plan to save him.

They plan to kidnap him"

The Filipino Heroes League (FHL), entails a Filipino version of, well you might already guess from the name, the Justice League. But, even with this similarity, Paolo Fabregas managed to create a great circle of Filipino heroes. One of the memorable things in Book 1 is the scene where there are two heroes on a pedicab while chasing after some armed men that just finished robbing a bank. It gives the tough of Filipino culture with the usage of that kind of transportation that is part of the Filipino culture. Book 1 ends with us wondering on how the turnout of events will be at the second book.

This is the pedicab scene from Book 1

In Book 2, the story just gets wilder with twists emerging from everywhere. There's a recollection of the People Power that transpired in EDSA years ago in which a dictator was removed from office. But take note, the dictator that occurred in the story was a super villain. A villain that has the power to kill anyone with just a touch of his hand, he can even make the air unbreathable, thus having been given the name "The Touch". There's also the similar personalities like Cardinal Sin, in which he lead the people into a peaceful rally towards Malacañang Palace. The immediate rescue and escape from Malacañang by the President, which could have been a reference to Former President Estrada's evacuation of the palace in the height of the so called EDSA 2 People Power.

The end of Book 1, gives the heroes a task of kidnapping the President, which is for the betterment of the country. With the President of the Philippines being kidnapped, the law takes into effect of the need of appointing a replacement. The President, still within the headquarters of the FHL, mentions to the group whoever replaces him as President is the villain that they are looking for

I would love to say more details about the contents of the book, but I'll just let you grab a copy instead. Since it can be easily bought from any known bookstores nationwide. Especially, since this comic is being distributed by Visprint, Inc. I can say that Paolo Fabregas has done a good job both in the art and the story line of this comic. He really got me confused as to who "The Touch" may be. I highly recommend that you grab Books 1 and 2 now, before the 3rd and final installment comes out in the market.

Note: Images were taken from the internet

More information about the comic book can be seen at:

www.filipinoheroesleague.com

Comics: Seven Gifts of the Skygods

Story by: Mervin Ignacio

Illustrated by: Ian Sta. Maria

Alamat Comics
(5/5 ★★★★★)

Got hold of the last copies of the Seven Gifts of the Skygods that were being sold during the Summer Komikon 2013. It basically tells of the story of the gifts that were given to our ancestors a long time ago. This is one of the collection must have if you're a fan of the Skyworld story. The tandem made by Mervin and Ian, along with their consultant Budjette Tan, has created a world for us to explore on. It is depicts the story of the early inhabitant of our country long before invading foreign nations came to our land, in which the gods bestowed gifts to us.

Well, as far as I can say. I'd recommend for everyone to read any project that Mervin Ignacio, Ian Sta. Maria and Budjette Tan are working on. Including those projects in which they are not together.

Note: Image was taken from the artist's  webpages.

I think I'm the only one who has the copy of their unique autographs XD (nagkapalit kasi sila nang pinirmahan na side)

Creators: Alamat Comics

This is not a review, but more on as an appreciation on the creation of this group. It is a group of very talented writers and artists. It is a Filipino comic book group based in Manila which was founded on November 1994. Some of the well known comic personalities from this group are Budjette Tan, Ian Sta. Maria, Kajo Baldisimo, Mervin Ignacio and David Hontiveros. They all gave us great stories like; Trese, Kadasig, and of course the one most Filipinos will be surely proud of once it is adapted into a movie after upgrades on our special effects, Skyworld. Just by reading the book, you can already picture it out and the growing tension from the plot comes to life as you flip across the pages of the comic.

Kudos to all the people involved in this group. I can say that they could later be a Marvel or DC Comics equivalent here in the Philippines. It is one of the best local comics that we have here. By merely attending a Komikon, one can see that it is one of the booths that will never be vacant of a fan wanting to get an autograph and picture with his/her idolized comic book creator.

I'm just looking forward for more great works to come out of this group and hope that someday, with the improvement of the quality of special effects in the Philippine movies, it will someday give justice to the world that Alamat Comics had brought to us readers.

They indeed have a great way of telling the legends and stories that our ancestors had. Who knows, maybe in that genre would Filipino comics be known for, like the way Japan has been known for its manga.

Note: Image was just taken from the internet.