Meläg: Town of Fables

by Bong Redilla

This haunting, nostalgic collection of short comics by Filipino American illustrator and author Bong Redila is at once an homage to childhood and a simple wish that tomorrow everything will be fine. Welcome to Meläg, an eerily fantastic town located somewhere between dreamland and the real world of B. Redila’s childhood hometown in the Philippines and where love, joy, and heartbreak hold hands. Travel on a train with singing, blob-like beings, spy a shack that floats above the treetops because of a “borrowed” magical broomstick, romp with futuristic creatures on a playdate, roam a carnival with two goofy boys, dance the father-daughter dance at a wedding with a robot, and cry with two lost souls who come together as friends in the rain. Originally published in the Philippines, where it is an award-winning bestseller, Melä Town of Fables marks the English language debut of Filipino American illustrator and author B. Redila. Drawn in a spidery, cross-hatched pen-and-ink style reminiscent of Edward Gorey, this charming collection will transport readers of all ages. Black-and-white illustrations throughout

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Fantasy

128 pages, Paperback

Published August 16, 2022

Reviews

[Nore · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute art, very little substance. The one about the son buying his father pants was sweet.

[Wenzel Wilkey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This had a very strange effect on me because once I finished it I was on the verge of tears. I don’t know why but it struck a chord with me that I didn’t expect. Meläg is a collection of short black and white comics that say very little. There’s barely any dialogue but for me it didn’t matter because what wasn’t said my mind was able to pick up without me even realizing. It relies a lot on brief visual storytelling and cues by small details either within the background or by the characters. It’s so minute but haunting. It was nice to have Redila’s own words at the end of each comic and to help give background since again there’s very little dialogue and understandably people might not pick up or even like this style. But I loved it. A visually striking collection that says very little because it doesn’t have to say much at all. Maybe I just have a soft spot for my fellow Filipinos but this is a beautiful piece of Philippine literature.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fantastic art. I skimmed the introductions, they were almost all inspired from childhood.

[Rick Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice variety of pieces that brought some interesting cartooning styles to some very warm tales of childhood memories. Bong Redila's penmanship is intricate, and there is some great panel work across most of the stories. The "Wander" story in particular gave impressions of Jim Woodring/Edward Gorey in terms of the contrasts between labyrinthine inkwork and the sparse backgrounds - creating some nice surrealist pages. It was also nice that Redila provides context after each story, which helps to better understand the stories that have sparse scripts. I wasn't blown away by the storytelling, but I liked this book for the unique perspectives as well as the splendid cartooning. Definitely an artist to keep an eye out for in the future.

[Rocky Sunico · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meläg is a beautiful anthology of stories. It's a quick read given a lot of the panels don't have words but that doesn't mean there isn't a lot of story here. Each piece is rich with meaning and intention and you can really feel that Redila put a lot of himself in each story.

His art is amazing. I don't know how else to describe it. It can look deceptively simple or sometimes childish based on the tone of the story. But a lot goes into each panel and Redila has an amazing eye for detail. His use of patterns to give texture and enrich tone is mind-boggling at times and you can totally get lost in studying how he decided to draw the sky in one panel or the details of the street in another.

I really enjoyed this experience. This book is a gift to the eyes.

[April Macadangdang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-reading Meläg is like taking the last flight from LAX to DVO and eating Arroz Caldo on board the plane while anticipating the landing on the tarmac surrounded by coconut trees and Mt. Apo’s majestic outline. Every page whispers the nagging inequities of our society, but love, resilience, persistence, and courage trample the dark and seemingly hopeless path. Meläg is an anthem for inspiration, magic & fantasy. Meläg is a love letter to pen & ink artistry. Meläg is HOME. 🇵🇭

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely short comics on different themes. I especially enjoyed the first story about the late night train and the one near the end about two friends.

[Don Jaucian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still wonderful 🥹🥹🥹

[Odie · Rating 5 out of 5]

He's my dad 😸 Highly recommend!

[M A · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great art, nice stories. My primary complaint is that it's too short.

[kel · Rating 5 out of 5]

huge fan of the art style n blobby imperfect people

it was cool to read about diff filipino fables / comic adaptations on their culture,, liwaliw reminds me a lot of howl’s moving castle :’-)

[fooleveunder · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was a very quick book to read. Despite this, the contents are from simple interactions that influenced the author to make. These simple things are the ones that make them special, due to the fact that we can extract lessons from them.