Trese Presents: Verdugo

by J.B. Tapia, Budjette Tan (Editor)

He is Carlos Trese, the firstborn of Anton Trese. Carlos followed the path of the mandirigma; the warrior and defender of the city from all supernatural threats and the forces of darkness. His reputation of being a ruthless hunter of the guilty has earned him the name of Verdugo.

Genres: Graphic Novels

200 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2023

Reviews

[claud.]

i'm sorry but i was so utterly confused trying to read this book. first of all, is it supposed to be a spin-off of the original trese series? either way, i liked the first two volumes fine (although i probably won't continue the series) but i genuinely didn't understand what was going on or what the context of the first few pages were. was i supposed to have finished the original series before reading this?

[そっと ときと · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best arcs in the history of Trese by far! It has depth, grim, and action. A masterpiece for me. If you'll truly savor each page that you'll flip, you'll get all the information precise and captivating.

Carlos Trese's fate in this book is inevitable from the start because of his nature. Him, becoming an aswang by the bond of marriage is one of the twist I am least expecting for a Trese. ⚔️

[Anthea · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was heavy. It should be 5 stars, but the panels are a bit confusing to me. I don’t know which are flashbacks or not, but the art and story are great.

[Miel Salva · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a fan of the "Trese" series by Budjette Tan, reading a story with one of Alexandra's brothers is interesting and intriguing.

"Verdugo", story and art by JB Tapia, puts the oldest of the Trese siblings--Carlos--on the spotlight.

The book starts off strong with the 'lore' of the Verdugo and continues to the gathering of humans (represented by Alexandra and Carlos), and aswangs (even graced by the presences of what I call "celebrity aswangs") for a discussion, which the rest of the chapters in this comic book builds on.

Verdugo also stays true to the Trese-verse--incorporating familiar social issues prevalent in Filipino society into the story.

Definitely unputdownable! I was speechless by the end of the comics. I mean, what the actual fraaaaak??

Carlos Trese, no...Verdugo...you're truly ASTEEEEEEG!

Props to JB Tapia for his superb storytelling and art, indeed making this a masterpiece.

Content warning: violence, drugs, cults, murder, suicide

TAKUTAN
- I love how brutal Verdugo is. It is very on brand for the butcher of monsters.
- And I love that it showed how Alexandra cares for the balance of the world, and for her kuya, too.

HALIMAW
- I appreciate how the explanations for the different types of aswangs are incorporated in the story.
- This chapter showed how badass Carlos is!
- The plot twist...plot twisted O_o

SINUMPA
- The story gets more exciting here. Glad that Verdugo isn't alone in fighting off those after his head.
- This chapter was very VERY VEERRRYYY PAINFUL
- Still... the plot twist keeps on giving!!!
- Here, we see who the real monsters are

Easily, five stars.

[Nicolo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first Trese spin-off to receive a graphic novel treatment features Anton Trese's firstborn, Alexandra's eldest brother, Carlos the Verdugo.

If Carlos was a soldier in his one man war against the aswang, he'd be a war criminal.

Carlos rationalizes his extreme methods, on the fact that he is but one man, and the notoriety of his actions would serve as a deterrent against any aswang thinking of circumventing The Agreements that maintained the balance between the human world and the supernatural world.

The Verdugo has proven to be popular enough to merit its own graphic novel, collecting several short stories, including the one featured in Trese Bloodlines, #1, which acts as the lead story.

The author has developed a signature art style for this series, and it's as dark as a man could go in his personal war. It also serves to mask as much blood and gore as it can because the Verdugo is not shy with his twin blades which he name Parusa and Sentensiya. Sounds a like a fun guy who takes pride his own work.

This is a collection of short stories, but with an overarching arc that sees a man transformed from all the killing he does. Character development from a book I thought was just an excuse to use gallons of ink to show all that spilled blood.

Bathala knows how starved the Trese fandom is for new stories. This book will go a long way in slaking that thirst.

[Sybyl · Rating 4 out of 5]

So deliciously gory and high stakes.

I remember vividly being so horrified and repulsed by Takutan when I first read it in Trese Bloodlines, but in this case, I'm very much glad I gave it another chance.

The plot? *BIG CHEF'S KISS* The vibes? 💯 Don't even get me started with that Aswang origin reveal + the ending! I was gagged!!!

However... I still have some critiques. (1) I didn't like the overly-sexualized portrayal of the main female characters. It was so off-putting and unnecessary, I felt like I was reading a Murakami novel all over again. I get it, you like perky boobs. No need to rub it in my face, geez. (2) The timeline from Sinumpa was confusing as hell at fist, I literally had to keep going back. But once the pieces finally fell into place, it was, admittedly, quite satisfying. (3) I think some trigger warnings would've been nice. For real.

NGL, I had to let it settle in my brain for a bit once I've finished reading it, but holy shitttt. I think this perfectly satiated my craving for some good ol' urban—tho with a sprinkle of rural setting this time— fantasy.

[Aika · Rating 2 out of 5]

Parepareho yung ichura ng mga babae -- perfect body and perky boobs.

Also, sa five female characters (na parepareho ng body type btw), tatlo ang implied na sexually assulted? That's 60%.

Marami pa namang pwedeng nature ng plot device ang pwede ikabit sa mga babae, hindi lang limited sa pagiging sexual prey.

Sobrang nalunod rin ako sa dami ng elements na pinakilala tas biglang naglaho, or events na dinaanan lang tas di na-explain ng maigi.

Ilang beses rin akong bumalik ng pages kasi may mga nireference na never pa namention pero mukhang dapat alam ko na, tas di ko gets kung ano yun so akala ko namiss ko lang. Hindi. Wala talagang explanation kung ano yun.

Sobrang all over the place ng plot. May moment na kiwestyon ko ba kung tama yung pagkakasunod sunod ng pages sa printing.

Yung rape at sexual assult lang yung consistent.

(Also, baka ako lang nakapansin. Iba yung quality ng art sa start ng book vs sa end?)

[Michelle Ciriacruz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found the art literally too dark; it took effort to see details. Then Carlo Trese's story swept over me, and I realized how fitting this is. The story is grim and savage. Carlo as a mandirigma warrior character is single-minded, with little patience for the balancing act his sister has to play. He kills monsters, but in this volume he discovers the irony of that, through zealousness from others rivaling his and through the anguish of friendship and love lost. I was blown away by the twist, which is that all the blood and gore will ultimately lead to a heartbreaking love story. Grabe naman... With this volume, I realized my Trese fandom encompasses the entire Trese family. They're all main characters and I want more of everyone of them!

[Annabelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Alexandra Trese takes a back seat to older brother Carlos Trese, aka Verdugo. I'm a big fan of the Trese series, but this latest one was a bit flat, like a Coke Zero. Apart from the aswang, gone are the familiar creatures that infiltrated the nooks and crannies of urban Manila. Instead we are introduced to one aswang sub-group after another, until we get to that contrived ending.

* This book is a collaboration between JB Tapia and Budjette Tan. I wonder why Kajo Baldisimo wasn't onboard for this?

[Gab of Green Gables · Rating 3 out of 5]

JB Tapia has created a great spinoff to the Trese storyline. I loved the art style which is different from Kajo Balidisimo's illustrations.

Carlos Trese as the eldest among the siblings also known as the Verdugo has shown grit and resolve in dealing with his enemies in ruthless ways. At times, I had challenges reading the stories because I can't follow what's happening and who's who, but I was able to understand it eventually.

The ending was so unexpected and for sure it would create many more stories along the way.

[Rupert Tamayo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nakabili ako ng kopya sa Philippine Book Festival at napapirmahan ko kay Mr. Tapia.
Ang naging problema ko lang ay malabo yung mga guhit o yung mismong IMPRENTA ng libro. Nahihirapan tuloy ako makakonek sa kwento at mga pangyayari.

Ibang-iba ang personality ni Verdugo kaysa kay Alexandra. Umaaasa ako magkakaroon din ng sariling kuwento ang ibang trese.

[Rey Agustino · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, I like the artwork very much. The gore touch in the story is a bit overwhelming for me but the story is very entertaining. I just got confused a bit by some of the framing of the story at the last part.

All in all it is still a very good story and I will definitely going to read all the JB Tapia Verdugo adventures.

[Kaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do have concerns with some art style choices plus the lack of 'time stamps' in the story which would give more context on how that ending came about. Nevertheless, and other than I'm hungry for more Trese stories, the story built together well.

[selina · Rating 2 out of 5]

initially i would rate this 3 stars. but as the days went on, i realized smth. do you ever read a book and just feel like everything's written by a cishet man? yeah this is it

[Cha · Rating 1 out of 5]

I DNF it.

[Henry Arguelles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was dark. I want to know what will happen to Carlos after this. Will he consume what he vowed to protect, now that he has turned into the enemy he vowed to purge?

[Jobert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ang galing!!! Gotta check if a missed a Trese book, pero parang wala naman ata. Salamat dito, sir JB Tapia. I can’t wait for the next trilogy. ^^

[Alissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a Trese universe expansion! Quick read but it was engaging and action-packed. The lore is cool.