Trese: Sa Kanto ng Balete Drive at 13th Street

by Budjette Tan, Kajo Baldisimo (Illustrator), Bob Ong (Translator)

Sa paglubog ng araw,
huwag na huwag magkakamaling mapadpad
sa mga madilim na sulok ng Maynila,
kung saan mga aswang ang nasa likod ng mga kidnapan,
mga kapre ang utak ng mga krimen,
at may mga engkanto na handang nakawin
ang pinakamahahalagang bagay sa buhay mo.

Pag kakaiba na ang mga kaso,
ang mga alagad ng batas
ay kay Alexandra Trese tumatakbo.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Comics, Horror, Fantasy, Comics Manga

38 pages, Paperback

First published January 28, 2013

About the author

Budjette Tan is the writer of the award-winning comic book TRESE, which he co-created with his partner/illustrator Kajo Baldisimo.

TRESE has been adapted into an anime series by Netflix.

He was a founding member of ALAMAT COMICS in the 1990s.

He's also the writer and co-creator of THE DEMON DUNGEON / DARK COLONY books, which he made with Bow Guerrero and JB Tapia.

He was also the co-editor of the KWENTILLION scifi/fantasy comics magazine (published by Summit), the UNDERPASS horror anthology (Summit), and SOUND: A Comic Anthology (published by Difference Engine).

Reviews

[Nicolo · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first of a series of tales that comprised the graphic novel Murder On Balete Drive and launched the supernatural detective detective Alexandra Trese into the Philippine consciousness. When this was first released, this was unlike any local graphic novel. It was smartly written and richly illustrated that it felt like a foreign publication. Trese probably jump-started the nascent independent comic book scene into what it is now; a thriving subculture on the cusp of transcending local boundaries and going into a more international audience. Yeah, this is really good.

[Mac Dubista Keso The Bibliobibuli v(=∩_∩=) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sobrang bitin. 🖤

[Nickole Codico · Rating 4 out of 5]

tinatapos kong basahin ang dalwang libro ni Kahlil Gibran para sa prompt na Sirena, pero kalagitnaan, narealize ko na hindi pala sila poetry tulad ng The Prophet. 🥺

So nagshift ako sa Trese Kanto ng Balete Drive at Tuntunin ng karera paras a prompt na Malakas at Maganda to get my Apolaki badge.

(For context lol: https://youtu.be/m55EL8vNHo0 )

Mini review only (I plan to read the black edition para sa mahaba habang review)

4 stars lang ang binigay ko dahil parang kulang at maikli ang story, maganda sana yung investigations ni Trese but it wasn't elaborated well. pero ang cool ng creatures and gusto ko pa mabasa yung ibang trese comics before the netflix adaptations (hopefully magkacopy na me huhu)

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

Noong una, ayaw ko pa talagang magbasa ng Trese (noon) kasi hype nung mga panahon na yun (hahaha malapit ko nang maalis yan pramis!) saka abala ako sa fangirling activities sa Kikomachine Komix hehe. Saka minsanan lang talaga ako magbasa ng english na comics. Ngayong taon, binabasa ko na ang Trese at surprisingly, may translated version pala sila (at si Bob Ong ang nagtranslate naks) kaya naging mabilis at magaan ang pagbabasa. Hindi naman sa hindi ko na babasahin yung original version pero feeling ko lang, mas naging relevant sa'kin nung naikwento in Filipino format. Yun lang. Ganda po! 😇

[Riri Carstairs · Rating 2 out of 5]

First time reading Filipino comics. This is really a quiet famous one since this will be having a adaptation soon next month so I tried reading it first while waiting. And I expectted so high because one of my twt moot said that it's really good and worth the hype, and yet it didn't reach my expectation. Pero, tbh nakakabitin yung ending lmao haha.

[John Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I purchased this I didn't realized that this and another comic book was a Tagalized version of a couple of stories of the first collection, which I already read before this. But this colored and Tagalized version was still worth reading.

[Marlo Paniqui · Rating 2 out of 5]

saktong amats lang ang pagkakadibuhu. medyo korni ang drawing at halatang di sanay sa pagsulat ng komiks ang manunulat.
di rin maganda ang pagkakakulay sa mga larawan . di ko to binili. binasa ko lang to sa National Bookstore Cubao

[maxine · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5

[Reg · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love the art but this being my first from this author and one of my first comics in a long long time (not counting that one other I've read last August), it was a bit hard to get into for me. I got dumped right into the middle of a story where I don't know the whos and the whys and I'm not sure if that's a comics thing? Coming from novels where we usually get introductions and descriptions to a lot of things, this was a little something that I had to adjust to.
I mean, I read a long of manga but somehow this just feels different or something, I can't really explain well.

Bottom line, I love the art but not sure what to think about the story just yet but loving the concept. (Good thing I already have the next 2 issues of the series.) It so far seems like separate short stories using the same characters but no bigger and longer plot brewing in the background or something.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

So one day I decided to visit a nearby bookstore and I found myself at the Filipiniana section. I was browsing through some titles and lo and behold, I saw a familiar face on one of the covers. I was quite hesitant at first because first of all, it is colored and it is on a different format. So I took it out from the rack and yes, it is of Trese!

I immediately took it out of it’s shelf and I opened it but no, it was not the book 7 of the Trese that I was expecting. But still, I bought it and took it home to add to my collection. The book was a special collection of Trese’s first Filipino edition in full color featuring Trese: Sa Kanto ng Belete Drive at 13th Street which is part of the first volume, still written and illustrated by Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo respectively, winners of the Philippine National Book Award For Best Graphic Literature. And guess who translated it to Filipino. It’s the one and only Bob Ong!

To all those who doesn’t know about what the Trese series is all about, it is a Filipino horror/crime komiks/graphic novel about Alexandra Trese an investigator who works with the police in solving crimes involving supernatural origins in the current Philippine setting. She is assisted by her boys, the Kambal, in this job. The stories in each volume incorporates Philippine pop culture and Philippine folklore.

First of all, as a fan of the series, let me just say that I am ashamed with myself that all along I don’t know about this book was released. I later learned that it was released last year during Komikon 2015, the biggest Philippine Komiks Convention, which also marked the 10th anniversary of the series. The book follows the investigation regarding the killing of a ghost that frequents the corner of Balete Drive and 13th Drive which like I said is a story taken from the book’s first volume, Murder on Balete Drive. Trese and her team then follows a trail of anger and revenge to despair and hopelessness.

It’s nice to be reacquainted again with Trese and her kick8ss character. I read the last volume in the series last year and it left me with a lot of hopes that the next volume will come out soon which explains my delight when I saw this book. It may not be the next volume that I was expecting but it did lived up up to my expectations and became at par with its predecessors in terms of is illustration. Though it is not easy to get used to (I did enjoy how the current volumes are in black and white), rendering the the art with color has added more dimension, life and depth to the book’s art. And Bob Ong really did a good job with translating the series to Filipino. How I really miss Trese! I hope the next volume will be released soon.

Translating the book to Filipino is a great endeavour to expand the the readership of the series. If this will be done to the other stories of any in the volumes, I’ll surely still buy it. Kudos to everyone who came up with this idea.

I read, enjoyed and reviewed the books first 6 volumes and I am just happy that I have now a copy of this edition. The 40-page special edition is just full of pure awesomeness. I like how the last few pages of the book were all but character interpretations by different artists (and yes, they are also colored!). The book also includes a comparison between the original black and white illustration and was placed side to side with the new ones with color. This book is really a must have to all Trese fans! Go pick it up!

Cross-posted in my blog: www.bongbongbooks.wordpress.com

[Marika · Rating 3 out of 5]

I caved into my patriotic feelings and bought this little known graphic novel called Trese after chancing upon it on Tumblr. I am glad I did.

The story revolves around crime scenes that have supernatural elements. In this case, the popular "White Lady" of Balete street makes an appearance. But with a twist. Whoever thought that ghosts can actually be killed?

You'll follow the heroine, Trese uncover the mystery behind this death. And it's very entertaining. However, the story felt too straightforward. There is little mystery and build-up. What was well-done was establishing the first rule of the Philippine folklore world (a.k.a The Underworld) wherein the underworld always seeks balance. The art is beautiful, the story is simple but novel, and the characters are people you'd like to get to know more. It's a very good start for a series. That why I decided to buy Case 2 right after reading this.

[Tito Quiling, Jr. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps the most well-known case in the Trese series and in one of the most often relayed myths in Metro Manila, the case of the Ghost Lady along the stretch of Balete Drive in the enclave of New Manila is a stirring narrative. The first in the series, this installment introduces us to the human and supernatural characters in the comics, where real life entities and situations in urban Philippines, such as police investigations, hidden corners in familiar districts, and a system of corrupt individuals, feels very familiar. But the haunted condition and inquiry of death is only a take off point for the ensuing cases that Trese and her community needs to venture into, head on.

[Kristel · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first in a long time to read a graphic novel (the last one was The Walking Dead half a decade ago) and it was a fun experience. I got my free copy from buqo's 36 Days of Christmas giveaways. But did I miss something, or is this novel too short? I don't know if it's a series, or if the next volumes are connected (I still have to research it), but it was too short for my taste. Still, I love reading Pinoy horror folklore and it made me reminisce those days where Komiks were a boom. The sketches are also sharp and appealing. Looking forward to the next volumes.

[Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

May kilay na. Magaling na team up nila Kajo Baldisimo, Budjette Tan at ni Bob Ong.

[John Adrian Adiaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unang beses ko pa lang nababasa ang Trese ngunit binigyan na nito agad ako ng "urge" na basahin pa o hintayin ang mga sumunod o susunod na kabanata.

[Emiluz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dahil sadyang isa akong masugid na tagahanga ng mga may akda.