The Black Bestiary: An Alejandro Pardo Compendium

Alejandro Pardo Chronicles #2

by Budjette Tan, David Hontiveros, Kajo Baldisimo (Illustrator)

You know this door, this strange portal that you once opened and walked through.

You met dozens of things that most still believe are merely figments of fiction and fancy.

And you met a man, Alejandro Pardo, who spent his lifetime chronicling these things, these creatures.

The door's open now. So walk through it again.

Meet other men and women who've witnessed just how deep the shadows really are.

And of course, meet what lurks furtively in them.

Genres: Graphic Novels

125 pages, Paperback

First published April 14, 2018

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

[Lance · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars. Fascinating and horrifying, I read The Black Bestiary as part of my ongoing novel research and it felt like the first step into an expansive, horrific world.

[jurizprudent · Rating 4 out of 5]

lmao i was supposed to sell this because this was actually an impulse buy, one that i saw in the front window of booksale and thought, "oh i know that. isn't that related to trese?" and asked for the cashier for help in getting it. i bought it afterwards, of course, for not doing so would be embarassing. i guess i have to hunt the first compendium, the last journal of alejandro pardo, seeing that i actually enjoyed this, after binge reading it for three hours.
                 

[A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up knowing it was a sequel to something I hadn't read but hoping that I'd still manage to understand what was going on, mostly because I'm so desperate to read more books based in Filipino mythology. I wasn't entirely correct-- I definitely would have gotten more value out of this had I read the first book-- but despite feeling a bit afloat in places, I still enjoyed this. The short story structure of this felt very true to the way we Pinoys love to tell stories, and what I understood of the broader narrative tale made me want to go back and read the first book for certain. I also just generally learned more about some figures in folklore I was already familiar with-- and learned about a couple I hadn't, yet!

[Bernard Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

#BernardReads | BOOK REVIEW 📚
This #bookreview entry is also part of my #AkdangPinoy2024 book features! 🤍
🌟 [P] Read a book by a Filipino author that is set in the PHILIPPINES .
The Black Bestiary: An #AlejandroPardo Compendium by Budjette Tan, David Hontiveros, #KajoBaldisimo, Bow Guerrero, and #MervinMalonzo 🧟‍♂️
Unfortunately, I haven't read Alejandro Pardo yet, which according to the publisher and readers are highly recommended to read first in order for me to understand the references on this compendium. I can't find any copy yet from our local bookstores.
Anyway, that and this book has been on my wishlist for years as I devour any #PhillipineMythology books, especially when presented in this way. Not mentioning the creatives behind this, my goodness, it's like they put together the founding fathers of modern #FilipinoMythology literature.
The illustrations and layout are definitely the primary highlights that hooked me in. They're vivid and gorgeous, capturing the magical and horror of #PhilippineMythologies. I also like reading books with concepts like this, sort of anthologies of entries with different formats. I'm a sucker of this as I personally wanted to do one for my own #BaleteVerse stories.
They began the book establishing the supernatural and the humans that studies and hunts them. Although it was too one dimensional, given the narrative account format.
They focus on some not so popular mythical creatures and the snippet format was effective for me, as if glimpsing for some of its hidden history but not revealing it's full story to add to the mystery.
I got so excited when I saw that there's a section for supernatural weapons. I feel like I'll be a Winchester ready to hunt. Yet, the section was handled carefully and meticulously, and that's how responsible the creators of this compendium. I applaud them for that.
There was also an account of a psychologist treating supernormal trauma which definitely piqued my interest as a fellow psychologist myself, though not practicing.
This book really did fill in gaps in the supernatural world you wouldn't even bother.
I found the brilliance in the writing when they tried reimagining old tales then stacked it up with a continuation, it made the tales alive even today.
Even though it can be read as a standalone, I believe that reading the first compendium would enhance your enjoyment as it tried to spell and dispel the first book.
Although sometimes it can get too technical, I still enjoyed this compendium and wanting for more collaboration with these amazing creators.
#AkdangPinoyAugust2024 #bookrecommendations

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

The reader will have a better experience starting with the first book, I think. There were very frequent references to The Lost Journal of Alejandro Pardo: Creatures and Beasts of Philippine Folklore, which made this volume not stand-alone -friendly. It also wasn't immediately clear to me what the premise of the book was; for several segments/chapters I felt very unmoored, and even after never felt completely firm on what the book was "supposed" to be. Theoretically, reading the first book might have alleviated some of this?

This isn't what I'd call a graphic novel-- although there are a few illustrations, the bulk of the work is text-based. It's just printed on glossy paper with color background and borders. Readers who don't know about the work and pick it up based on title+GN will likely be disappointed.

Many of the tags and metadata I've seen for this book also mark it as "horror," and that doesn't feel right either. While there are paranormal monsters and a little bit of suspense, the storytelling lacked the elongated fear or disgust that I would use to identify books in this genre. So don't suggest to horror fans.

Best for readers interested in the mythology aspects.

[Nick Klagge · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a follow-up to "The Lost Journal of Alejandro Pardo," and while both are good, I enjoyed this one more. (Unfortunately neither is available in the US, and even finding Filipino books in the Philippines can be difficult!) The BB mostly drops the "bestiary" format of the LJ (despite the name!), and focuses more on some creepypasta-style stories. (Really, the titles of the two books should be switched.) There are a couple of bestiary entries here, but they felt a little out of place, and I would have liked the book even better without them. The book really gets going with the final extended narrative from Pardo's companion's journal.

I hope Tan et al. will publish a follow-up that is exclusively an in-universe creepy narrative!

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

A prose book from the creators of Trese in the vein of World War Z. It's part Monster Manual of the Philippines, part untold stories of monster hunters. It's written as if by a long time monster hunter in the area, giving accounts of stories of encounters he's been told. This is a sequel. I haven't read the original. There are references to it in here, but it didn't lesson my enjoyment of this at all.

[John Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

They changed style with this one; there are fewer encyclopedic info about beasts, but they added an underlying narrative. There's a story happening in the background and it's told through journal entries and comments from the mysterious writer. It's different from my usual novel reads but it kept me entertained and got my imagination going.

[Ailla Magcamit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked this much more than the first (the two books should've switched titles tho).

It also further established the pfft persona of Alejandro Pardo, which is why I enjoyed reading more about the other people involved and their experiences.

Artwork is still 10/10 although the "bestiary" entries felt a bit disconnected with the main arcs. I enjoyed the shorts better.

[Mouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such an incredible sequel to The Lost Journal!
I feel like I need to buy my own copies and reread them, so I can go over all the details and tidbit between the books.
The different points of view and how they are all slowly connected.
I couldn't get enough.

I highly recommend this book and it's prequel.

[Trevor · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Black Bestiary is the sequel to The Lost Journal of Alejandro Pardo: Creatures and Beasts of Philippine Folklore. However, it is more ambitious than its predecessor. While the Lost Journal consisted solely of descriptions of mythological beasts (and sometimes felt like I was reading the D&D Monster Manual), the Black Bestiary also includes narrative sections. The premise is that one of the authors of the first book was murdered and the other one has retreated to the mountains where he is living with a reclusive militant community to protect him against the dark creatures that seek him. He has also received many letters from people who read the first book, describing their own encounters with the supernatural. Those letters make up the first half of the book. The second half is the journal of Kolya, the assistant to Alejandro Pardo, on whose research the first book is supposedly based.

I love that this book is not only using the mythological traditions of the Philippines but it is also adding to it, telling its own fables and myths using these creatures and motifs. My only real critique is how inaccessible this book is. It continually references things from the first book without explaining them at all. While I had read the Lost Journal recently, I don't own a copy so I am not able to reference it when I forget what a manananggal is or how to bind a tikbalang. Overall, however, I think this is a pretty special series and deserves to be read a bit more widely.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss.

[Alan Mar · Rating 4 out of 5]

As expected, I enjoyed reading this sequel. Format and artwork still excellent IMHO

[Earl · Rating 3 out of 5]

A follow-up to The Lost Journal of Alejandro Pardo, this multi-layer book explores more monsters of Philippine mythology using the aforementioned journal. It also continues to explore what sharing these stories have done to the narrator, who is now living in a compound to avoid whatever looms in the darkness. I felt like there were a couple typos that took me out of the story. While I didn't particularly enjoy it, I thought the story within a story was cool.

[Jake Pescador · Rating 1 out of 5]

maybe if this were at least the first chapter of a graphic novel, then it might have had the chance being something other than a long boring chore of a read.