One cannot have too much Trese goodies this year. After posting the Trese vision board of stories and books last January 6, 2021, Budjette Tan finally laid out the title and cover of the 8th Trese book that had a working draft name of Whatever Something Shadow.
(Image from Instagram account of Budjette Tan)
Trese 8 is officially titled as Shadow Agents. An interesting image that consists of Madam and the Askaleros were shown here. Following the way the title of the previous Trese books were made, Trese 9 is bound to have a shadow on its name as well.
No release date as of writing was announced regarding this 8th Trese book that will be published by Avenida Books.
More information about the Avenida Edition of Trese books can be seen at:
The cover of the book was wonderful. The layout was also neat. The smooth illustrations of the main story in contrast from the TALA online game was nice to be seen visualized in this book.
The Bad:
The story was poorly adapted from the source material. Several details have been omitted to give space due to the illustrations and restriction of the number of pages. An example was the huge trust that Janus immediately gives to a stranger he has just met online. It was also strange for Renzo to speak about the same experience of almost being taken away by a Tiyanak like creature just like what happened to Janus' father. It was peculiar since Janus never disclosed that information prior to Renzo's recounting of his experience.
The news report was also inconsistent. Initially it was reported that the deaths at the Malakas internet cafe shop was an addition to the total number of deaths of children who died after playing an online game. This is in contrast to Mang Joey's narrative to Janus as he tells him that the deaths that occurred at the Malakas internet cafe shop was not the first case since earlier cases were overshadowed by bigger news reports.
Further improvements to the illustrations are suggested. It would have been better to have 2 different art styles whenever the story focuses on the present and whenever it shifts back to the olden stories regarding the tales of Tiyanak and Tala.
The background also needs refinement. The sharpness of the edge of the corners of the house or the cabinet as an example doesn't quite work to be pleasant to the eyes. Also, the bird's eye view of a character looking up needs to be polished. The eyes of the character was drawn looking to be cross-eyed (exotropia) on page 46.
In some panels, the story and art does not convey the same message. Such is the moment wherein Janus is playing TALA at home while Mang Joey and Renzo faces a Do-ol. The message of Mang Joey from the speech balloon doesn't match with what appears on Janus' cellphone. It also gives a misconception that Mang Joey has telepathy in contrast to cyberkinesis or technopathy that was explained in the novel.
The Verdict:
Janus Silang is a great young adult series created by Edgar Samar. However, this comic book adaptation does not seem to be at par with the novel.
It does not give enough hype for new readers to pick up the source material or the next book in the series if this is the starting book.
It's best to recommend the first novel to the new reader of the series before introducing them to this comic book adaptation.
Illustration and Story by: Tsambolero (Raphael Unta)
(5/5 ★★★★★)
The Good:
The artist really did a great job illustrating the different emotions on his two main characters.
The Bad:
Still this is only 4 panels long.
The Verdict:
A romantic candle light dinner fills the mood of the two lovers. Tsambolero's art are really great to look at. I just hope he draws a longer story in his next episodes.
Just be mindful of what you are eating if it is allergic to your partner. You don't want to kill the love of your life.
Edgar posts a photo on his social media, as he finishes proofreading the last book of the Janus Silang series.
The first book, Janus Silang at Ang Tiyanak ng Tabon, was first published in the year 2014.
Created by Edgar Calabia Samar, Janus Silang first saw the light of Santinakpan in 2014 under the roof of Adarna House. After 4 novels and 2 comic book adaptations, the final book of this series is waiting to tell the conclusion to the curse that first started at the Tabon cave.
The final book is expected to be released this November 2021.
The secrets of the Santinakpan will be revealed to us soon.
Tarantadong Kalbo comics is the equivalent of Pugad Baboy comics that currently floods our social media.
The present sociopolitical events of the Philippines can be seen in his comic strips. The plight of the poor during the current pandemic are portrayed on the strips Mahirap and Caramel Matapobre. The COVID-19 pandemic response of the country are seen through the strips Fus Ro Dammit, V.I.P., The Emperor, and Napakasuwerte.
The best strips in this compilation delves on topics such as depression in Ok, Not Ok. and fake news in Inuman Sessions: Fake News.
"Ang hindi mag-luv sa own wika are like parang worse pa sa hayop or stinky isda."
The Bad:
There are several comic strips wherein the context are a bit hard to grasp such as Buksan Ang Kwaderno.
The Verdict:
Joining the ranks of Pugad Baboy, Tarantadong Kalbo can be considered as part of the Filipino comics that has been of relevance to the society. It paints the current situation of an ordinary Filipino in this extraordinary times.
Even the sweetest and saddest stories are presented through the strips Tobleron and Tobleron (2).
Illustration and Story by: Tsambolero (Raphael Unta)
(5/5 ★★★★★)
"Ang Jowa Kong Crosswise follows the life and times of Tomas and Leo, who -- for all the world -- look like any other yuppie same-sex couple in their twenties. They, too, fight about all those domestic things long-term couples bicker about. But then again, Tomas and Leo are no ordinary couple, and it's not because they're gay. Tomas is a bloodthirsty, self-segmenting, folkoric creature of the night, while Leo is ... well, just Leo."
The Plot:
Late for work? Grab is still 10 minutes away? It looks like a job for Leo's crosswise partner.
The Good:
The story and art are really loveable to look at. The creator did a great job in this online comic.
The Bad:
The only bad thing is this is only 4 panels long.
The Verdict:
Tsambolero gives us a sweet and hilarious take on an interesting same-sex couple that involves different creatures, wherein their main focus is love. This episode ends with the lower half of Tomas still polishing the floor with a coconut husk.
The artist made an adorable couple in the image of Tomas and Leo where readers will keep on coming back for that 'kilig' feeling.
After their humble origin as an ashcan comic, Trese has reached another milestone as the Netflix anime adaptation now presents a release date. Mark your calendars as Netflix drops Trese on its streaming platform on June 11, 2021.
The anime is based on the multi-award-winning Filipino graphic novel of the same name created by Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo.
The first official announcement of this adaptation was made last 2018 at Netflix's "See What's Next Asia" event at the Marina Bay Sands, Singapore. It is produced by Jakarta and Singapore-based BASE Entertainment with Jay Olivia as the executive producer and director.
The series will have 6 episodes which will be released all at once. Part of the soundtrack of the series will be performed by UDD for the song Paagi.
As of writing, the trailer on the platform is dubbed in four languages namely: Filipino, English, Japanese and Spanish. On the other hand, the subtitles offered are: English, Filipino, Japanese, Spanish and Traditional Chinese.
The English language will be headed by the voice of Shay Mitchell as Alexandra Trese. Other voice artists are Griffin Puatu, Matt Yang King, Jon Jon Briones, Steve Blum, Carlos Alazraqui, Manny Jacinto, Eric Bauza, Darren Criss, Nicole Scherzinger, Lou Diamond Phillips, Dante Basco and Rodney To.
The Filipino language is amazingly headed by Liza Soberano as Alexandra Tresa. Other voice artists are Simon dela Cruz, Apollo Abraham, Christopher Carlo Caling, Eugene Adalia, Cheska Aguiluz, Christian Velarde, Bryan Encarnacion, Nica Rojo, Jo Anne Orobia-Chua, Jose Amado Santiago, Steve dela Cruz, Rene Tandoc, Steffi Graf Bontogon-Mola, RJ Celdran, Elyrey Martin and Steven Bontogon.
So mark that date on your gadgets as we are ushered back into the world of Trese, in its new anime form. Loosely wandering the streets of Metro Manila, our Philippine mythology creatures are constantly kept in check by Alexandra Trese who continues to fight for balance and peace. This will premier one day before our independence day.
"In Manila, where dark supernatural forces pervade the criminal underworld, it's up to Alexandra Trese to keep the peace - but there's a storm brewing."
