Publication history
''Trese'' was first published independently byOther publications
With the goal of reaching a larger audience, the creators set up an Indiegogo campaign for the production of an international 32-page edition of ''Case 1: At the Intersection of Balete and 13th Street'' that would contain updated text and art with bonus pages and would also include the same journal entries from ''Book of Murders''. Aside from a variant cover exclusive, supporters could also avail the Indiegogo sketch variant with uniquely drawn covers. The campaign was endorsed byPlot
The story of ''Trese'' fuses Philippine horror mythology with dark, graphic storytelling and follows Alexandra Trese, a mysterious detective who deals with crimes of supernatural origin mainly occurring in the capital region of the Philippines. Because of her specialization in the supernatural, Alexandra is often called when the police cannot handle paranormal crimes, by Captain Guerrero, a man who prefers to lean on her knowledge and specialized skills. Alexandra is supported by two mysterious and magical creatures with uncertain powers known as the Kambal and together, they protect the streets of Manila from various creatures of Filipino folklore. Volume 3 explores Trese's past, when, at 15-years old, she joins her father Anton on her first case. The origins of the Kambal are also revealed in later issues. ''Trese'' was originally planned for 13 chapters or ''cases''. Volumes 1 and 2 comprise self-contained chapters (Cases #1 - #8) and introduce the paranormal world of Manila. Most cases are standalone, with the exception of the third issue, ''Mass Murders,'' where Cases #9 - #13 are related and use different cues from previous books. Beginning with Volume 5, the ''komik'' series takes on a more serialized progression while continuing to incorporate aspects of episodic storytelling in each issue. ''Trese''Characters
Main characters
* Alexandra Trese – A woman who works as a private detective and specializes in crimes perpetrated by supernatural beings of the Underworld, to which she has a deep connection. She is the proprietor of ''The Diabolical'', a night club that serves the "best ''kapeng barako''" in the street where it stands, which was originally run by Alexandra's grandfather. She is usually dressed in black garb and is often seen working in her trademark outfit a black button-down Chinese-inspired trenchcoat. For weapons, Alexandra uses guns and a magicalRecurring characters
* Tapia – Captain Guerrero's right-hand man in his investigations. * Nuno sa Punso – A small, dwarf-like creature of the Underworld. Their kind once lived in mounds of dirt or ant hills until humans started throwing garbage and littered their homes. This particular nuno lives in a manhole, does not like the sea, and seems to know Alexandra's father. In the komiks, Trese asks for permission when she passes by a dirt mound, saying "Tabi, tabi po. Good evening po," due to a superstition involving powerful curses being inflicted on unsuspecting humans who disturb a ''nuno''Awards
''Trese: Mass Murders'', won the National Book Award Best Graphic Literature 2010. ''Trese: Last Seen After Midnight,'' was nominated for the Filipino Readers' Choice Award for Comics/Graphic Novels 2012, ''and Trese: Midnight Tribunal'' won the Filipino Readers' Choice Award for Comics/Graphic Novels 2013. ''Trese: Stories from the Diabolical'' was nominated for the Filipino Readers' Choice Award for Fictional Anthology 2014, ''and the anthology book Manila Noir'', which contained ''Trese: Thirteen Stations'', won the National Book Award for Best Anthology in English 2014. ''Trese: High Tide at Midnight'' was nominated for the National Book Award for Graphic Literature in English 2015.Issue synopses
Each issue of ''Trese'' is split into chapters known as 'cases', some structured like an actual detective case where Alexandra Trese arrives at a crime scene and gathers clues until the case is solved, while others are written as chapters for the issue's main story arc. Starting with the fourth book, cases are no longer numbered, but are listed in the order they appeared.Main series
''Trese 1: Murder at Balete Drive''
* ''"Case 1: At the Intersection of Balete and 13th Street"'' *''"Case 2: The Rules of the Race"'' *''"Case 3: Our Secret Constellation"'' *''"Case 4: The Tragic Case of Dr. Burgos"''''Trese 2: Unreported Murders''
* ''"Case 5: A Little Known Murder in Studio 4"'': Starlet Heather Evangelista was found dead in the studio of her latest movie. Trese is called in after the remains of a dead ''duwende'' is found in the crime scene. * ''"Case 6: The Outpost in Kalayaan Street"'': A late case at the cemetery turns grim for Captain Guerrero and his colleagues when the dead rose from their graves and started attacking the nearby outpost. * ''"Case 7: Embrace of the Unwanted"'': A couple was found dead in a mall basement parking lot, ravaged by a very small creature. The case took several turns before finding its way back to a clinic in the mall. * ''"Case 8: The Association Dues of Livewell Village"'': A pattern of deaths is found in Livewell Village with a person electrocuted once a year, left with a sigil on their body. Trese's investigation lead her to a shady deal between the residents and a lightning elemental.''Trese 3: Mass Murders''
* ''"Case 9: A Private Retaliation"'' * ''"Case 10: Patient 414 in Mandaluyong"'' * ''"Case 11: The Fort Bonifacio Massacre"'' * ''"Case 12: The Baptism of Alexandra Trese"'' * ''"Case 13: An Act of War"''''Trese 4: Last Seen After Midnight''
* ''"Cadena De Amor"'': A serial rapist is killed by a plant elemental at Luneta Park. The case opens up to reveal the whereabouts of a missing gardener. * ''"A Private Collection"'': A ''manananggal'' falls out of the sky with its wings carefully sliced off. The incident nearly starts a gang war in the area and Trese has to find the real murderer before the situation escalates. * ''"Wanted: Bedspacer"'': A strange illness of depression affects students living along Katipunan Avenue and Trese has to trace the source of the paranormal epidemic. * ''"Fight of the Year"'': With an aspiring boxer nearly lured into a deal he'd be sure to regret, Trese shows him what his idol has to do to achieve his fame and success.''Trese 5: Midnight Tribunal''
* ''"Maverick Rider"'' * ''"The Judge's Verdict"'' * ''"Return of the Madame"'' * ''"The Great Stampede"''''Trese 6: High Tide at Midnight''
* ''"The Executioner's Return"'' * ''"Casa Lanan"'' * ''"The Plan of the Four Clans"'' * ''"The Executioner's Squad"'' * ''"Slaughter at Brgy. Pacifica"''''Trese 7: Shadow Witness''
*''"Thirteen Stations"'' – Reprinted story from ''Manila Noir'' *''"The Exorcism of Linda Blasco"'' *''Table for Three"'' – Originally printed as an ashcan *''"The Madrid Gig"''''Stories from the Diabolical''
Budjette Tan created a blog, titled ''Stories from the Diabolical'' to share narratives that he could not put into the comic books. They would often involve "The Diabolical" and sometimes reference the main cases such as "Case 1: At the Intersection of Balete and 13th Street" and ''"''Case 2: The Rules of the Race". Some of the stories in the blog were made in collaboration with other artists such as Mark Torres, who drew for''Trese: Stories from the Diabolical'' Volume 1
*''"One Last Drink at the Diabolical"'' *''"The Usual Spot"'' *''"The Last Full Show"'', was the first draft that was developed into ''Thirteen Stations'' *''"The Choir"'' *''"Coffee Black"''''Stories from the Diabolical'' Blog
*''"Welcome to The Diabolical"'', used panels from ''Our Secret Constellation'' *''"The Choir"'' *''"One Last Drink at the Diabolical" ,'' illustrated by Mark Torres *''"The Usual Spot" ,'' illustrated by Elbert Or *''"Coffee Black"'' *''"I Carry your Heart'' *''"On the first of January"'' *''"The Last Full Show"'' *''"Night of the Creeps"''''Precinto 13''
Originally published as ashcans, they are currently available in the Trese blog. They were illustrated by artist''Trese'' Komiks
These are re-released issues that have been translated into Filipino by Bob Ong with an updated colored art. They all have bonus material attached at the end. *''"Sa Kanto ng Balete Drive"'': ''case #1 At the Intersection of Balete and 13th Street'' *''"Mga Tuntunin ng Karera"'': ''case #2 The Rules of the Race'' *''"Ang Trahedya ni Dr. Burgos"'': ''case #4 The Tragic Case of Dr. Burgos''''Trese'' International Editions
* ''"Trese #1 Global Edition: At the Intersection of Balete and 13th Street"'' (Made available in October 2018, just before the Netflix adaptation announcement, for the backers of the Indiegogo campaign), retconned Alexandra's usage of a keypad mobile phone and fax machine *"''Trese #1: At the Intersection of Balete and 13th Street (Anniversary Edition)"'' (In celebration of Trese's 14th Anniversary, "Trese #1 Global Edition: At the Intersection of Balete and 13th Street''"'' was reprinted as an ashcan on 2019, similar to the original ashcan issue, exclusively sold by Comic Odyssey and Filbar's) *''"Trese: Murder on Balete Drive"'' (Published by Ablaze Comics, the book is an updated US edition of Book 1, featuring redrawn artwork, additional pages as well as pieces of annotated material taken from various books such as the Trese Global Edition and Trese: Book of Murders. It has a variant cover exclusive from Comic Odyssey and Sanctum Sanctorum Comics that was limited to 300 pieces.) *''Trese 2: Unreported Murders'' (Published by Ablaze Comics, the book is an updated US edition of Book 2)''Trese Lite''
*''"Trese Lite Postcard Book Vol. 1"'' (It was launched at the newly made komik store "Secret HQ" and had a panel and autograph signing with creators Budjette Tan, Kajo Baldisimo and Iunctura writer David Hontiveros and artist Marvin Del Mundo. It's the first book published under Avenida Books publishing.)''Trese Bloodlines''
*"Trese: Bloodlines Volume 1", the first installment in an anthology of ''Trese'' comic stories from David Hontiveros, John Amor, Brian Balondo, Mark Gatela, Marvin del Mundo, Brandie Tan, Jb Tapia and a new story from Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo. The book was released in December 2020. The stories are listed as follows: **''"The Visions of Miranda Trese"'' **''"Takutan: A Verdugo Mission"'' **''"That Kind of Hunger: a Fr. Matthias Trese case"'' **''"Iunctura: a Fr. Trese and Dakila deviation story"'' **''"Personal Demons: an Alexandra Trese and Detective Andara deviation story"''''Trese'' shorts
Numerous standalone comic shorts have been mostly written by Budjette Tan (with two notable exceptions) that are set in the ''Trese'' universe. They are usually illustrated by a host of different illustrators including Kajo Baldisimo. The Trese moniker is often placed at the start of the story's title to indicate its setting in the ''Trese'' universe. Sometimes, the connection is more subtle, such as when characters from the main ''Trese'' series appear in stories such as ''Songs of the Lewenri'' or when events from the main books are directly referenced in stories like ''The Clinic''. *''"Trese: The Devil's Playground"', art by Melvin Arciaga and story by Budjette Tan (Released online in 2009) *''"Trese: Masquerade"'', illustrated by Mark Torres and written by Budjette Tan (Appeared in the October 2009 issue of ''Rogue Magazine'') *''"The Clinic"'', illustrated by Kajo Baldisimo and written by Budjette Tan (Appeared in the 2009 graphic anthology Underpass). The story's connection to the Trese universe is revealed via the appearance of ABC-ZNN as well as when the main character references the events of the story Embrace of the Unwanted, referencing Robertson Mall by name. *''"Songs of the Lewenri: Farewell to Pain"'' (Published in 2010 for '' Free Comic Book Day'') *''"The Last Full Show"'' (Appeared in the 2011 anthology book "Alternative Alamat", in a July 2012 post in the "Stories from the Diabolical" blog, and in the "Trese: Stories from the Diabolical Volume 1" in 2013 with an updated art) *''"Thirteen Stations"'' (Appeared in the 2013 publication of ''Manila Noir, Abangan: The Best of Philippine Komiks,'' and reprinted in ''Trese 7: Shadow Witness'' in 2019) *''"Trese: Engkanto in the City"'' (Appeared in the May 4, 2013 edition of the '' Philippine Daily Inquirer'') *''"Trese: Table for Three"'' (Published in October 2016 as an ashcan and then appeared in Trese 7: Shadow Witness). *''"Kambal: The Elegant Skull"'', illustrated by Ian Sta. Maria and written by Budjette Tan (Appeared in the October 2017 issue of ''Kommunity'' magazine) *''"Trese Deviations: Iunctura, illustrated by Marvin Del Mundo and written by David Hontiveros. (Released in the 2019 November Komikon event) *''"Trese Presents: Verdugo Takutan"'', written and illustrated by J.B. Tapia. This is the second Trese story not written by Budjette. It was released online weekly for free during the imposed quarantine in the Philippines. *''"The Siren's Executioner"'', written by Budjette Tan and Illustrated by Kajo Baldisimo.Books and Stories in production
*''Trese 3: Mass Murders'' (Published by Ablaze Comics, the book is an updated US edition of Book 3) *''Trese: Bloodlines Volume 2'', the second installment in the anthology series. This book will be released in 2021 and will be based upon stories solicited from readers. *''Trese 8: Shadow Agents'', coming out in 2021 It includes the story ''Tiger Burning Bright'', which was released online. It will also include the story ''Bantay and the Askaleros'', the preview of which was released back in 2015. * ''Trese 9'' * ''Trese 10'' * ''Trese 11'' * ''Trese 12'' * ''Trese 13'' * "Bantay and the Askaleros", a spinoff focusing on the character Bantay and his Askaleros. A preview was given out as a freebie during the Free Comic Book Day 2015. The characters appeared a year later in a story from the ''Stories from the Diabolical'' blog. The story is set to appear in the upcoming ''Trese: Shadow Agents'' book. *"Trese Occult Case #2", the Global Edition of ''Case 2: The Rules of the Race.'' It was dubbed as the Anniversary Ashcan issue # 2. *Untitled Trese Deviations books *Fr. Matt solo stories *The Art of Trese *''Halimaw'', written and illustrated by JB Tapia and edited by Budjette TanGraphic novels
* Book 1 – Trese: Murder on Balete Drive * Book 2 – Trese: Unreported Murders * Book 3 – Trese: Mass Murders * Book 4 – Trese: Last Seen After Midnight * Book 5 – Trese: Midnight Tribunal * Book 6 – Trese: High Tide at Midnight * Book 7 – Trese: Shadow Witness *Volume 1 – Trese: Stories From the Diabolical *Volume 1 – Trese: Book of Murders (Compilation of books 1–3 with updated artwork plus additional annotated material and was only limited to 1,000 copies, making them rare). *Volume 1 - Trese: Murder on Balete Drive (Published by Ablaze Comics).Crossovers
Skyworld
Written by Mervin Ignacio, and illustrated by Ian Sta. Maria, ''Skyworld'' was set in an alternate universe, where Alexandra Trese and the Kambal act as some of the main characters that aid the main protagonist, Andoy. The single issues 1-3 were released at local conventions. Volumes 1 and 2 serve as compilations of these issues together with issue 4. They were published by National Bookstore Publishing.Volume 1
* Skyworld: Apocrypha * Skyworld: Testament ''Every legend hides a lie. A murdered Skygod re-emerges in modern-day Manila. A Tikbalang prince plots vengeance for the death of his father. And the Queen of the Asuang unleashes the mythicalVolume 2
* Skyworld: Prodigal * Skyworld: Requiem ''Every legend hides a lie. The Queen of the Asuang and her legion have taken over the country. Alexandra Trese leads the resistance alongside Makabo, a Tikbalang warrior, and Kaio, the Duwende trickster. Trapped in their epic battle is Andoy, a teenage boy tasked with uniting an army of Tikbalang, Enkanto, Kapre and Duwende against the Asuang. But before he can lead them, he must first recover a mystical sword that was once part of the fabledVolume 3
This will be the last book in the series and is still under development, with the release slated for 2020.= Prequel
= * Skyworld: Dominion Set after the events of Skyworld: Requiem, Andoy, currently called "Maharlika", now rules over a country in rebuild. A free version was released during the Philippine Independence Day 2017. Originally it was titled Martial Law.Ambush
Ambush is a continuing strip created by Andrew Villar and published daily in the Philippine Daily Inquirer. The story follows Amber Gonzales, also known as Ambush, who starts her job as an agent at a very young age. A variant cover with ''Trese'' paid homage to Uncanny X-Men #173 . Several crossovers have involved Trese, some of which have been titled ''Trese: Ambush''. A story published for the 2012 Free Comic Book Day Komiks anthology notably had Trese writer Budjette Tan write the script while Andrew Villar illustrated the comic. Other sample crossovers between the two include:Inferno: An Agents of Ambush Adventure
Plot
''When a big fiery dog razes a village, the bravo company discovers the paranormal is involved. Trese, the Kambal, and a former agent help, but not without a huge sacrifice that would change their lives.''A Night At The Museum
In honor of Batman Day 2016, Kajo and Budjette released online a non-canon story about Trese,Trese Deviations: Iunctura
Written by David Hontiveros and illustrated by Marvin Del Mundo, the story is a crossover team-up between Fr. Mattias Trese and Dakila. It was a story canon to 'The Verse' universe by David Hontiveros. This was used as a way of featuring his character Dakila and the organization TierCell. This is said to be the first story from the Trese Deviations title.Other appearances
With the blessing of its creators, Alexandra Trese and the Kambals appeared in ''Kanto Inc'' (issue #3) and in a comic strip of ''Callous''. Parody versions also appeared in ''Beerkada'' comics.Adaptations
The creators attempted to make a 10-minute long short film in 2010 but found it costly to produce. According to the afterword of ''Trese 4: Last Seen After Midnight'', the script was reused for the story "A Private Collection''".'' There have been talks to adapt the series by Filipino studios and networks. Glaiza de Castro was a fan favorite for the role and even showed interest. A thesis short film was made by students but was only screened privately due to the creators having signed a contract with a potential film producer. On November 8, 2018, media-services provider Netflix announced at their "See What's Next Asia" eventMerchandise
Due to its popularity, the creators sold limited amounts of shirts while several licensed shirts were produced by ''Art Initiative'', ''Evil Genius Clothing Co.'', and ''Team Manila''. Dolls of Trese, Crispin, and Basilio were made by ''Studio-Kaiba'' in 2012. During Komikon 2017, The ''Keybie Cafe'' sold keychains of the characters while ''Visprint'' sold refrigerator magnets. In honor of the 13th anniversary of ''Trese'', ''Hidden Fortress'' produced Trese and the Kambal 3.75" tall resin figures limited to 30 sets and was exclusively released for ''ToyCon PH'' 2018. In 2016, ''Balangay Entertainment'' announced ''Trese Case Files: War and Chaos'', a cooperative board game for 1–5 players. Players would play as the characters from ''Trese'' as they protect Manila from villains from the comic and would need to work together to investigate cases, defeat monsters, gain favors, and thwart the mastermind's diabolical scheme. Development stopped the following year in favor of other projects.See also
* Philippine comics *References
{{ReflistExternal links