Trese

Trese is a horror/crime komiks created by writer Budjette Tan and artist Kajo Baldisimo. It tells the story of Alexandra Trese, a detective that deals with crimes of supernatural origin. The third book, Trese: Mass Murders, won Best Graphic Literature in the 29th National Book Award last November 2010.

Publication History
Trese was first published independently by Alamat Comics in ashcan (photocopied) and online format. It is currently available in a collected, graphic novel form, published by Visual Print Enterprises.

Plot
When the sun sets in the city of Manila, don’t you dare make a wrong turn and end up in that dimly-lit side of the metro, where aswang run the most-wanted kidnapping rings, where kapre are the kingpins of crime, and engkantos slip through the cracks and steal your most precious possessions.When crime takes a turn for the weird, the police call Alexandra Trese.

Trese is a horror/crime komiks title created by writer Budjette Tan and artist Kajo Baldisimo. It follows the story of Alexandra Trese, a mysterious detective that deals with crimes of supernatural origin mainly occurring in the capital region of the Philippines.

Alexandra steps in to protect the streets of Manila when the police can’t deal with the supernatural weirdness that appears. Whenever she’s needed, Trese arrives, often called in by Captain Guerrero, the Commissioner Gordon to Trese’s unconventional Batman, a man who seems singularly predisposed to lean on her knowledge and specific skills. Supported by two mysterious and obviously magical creatures of uncertain powers – the always stylish Kambal, she’s always there to protect Manila from supernatural threat. Comparisons to Hellblazer and Vertigo were supplanted in this story with a familiar feel – this has the glorious scale and import of Ellis and Cassaday’s Planetary, with Trese functioning as the spiritual and supernatural protector of Manila, delivering her world safe and sound, no matter what it takes, whilst we get to investigate alongside, all the weird and wonderful her mystical existence has to offer. It fuses Philippine horror mythology with graphic storytelling and dark art in telling the story of Alexandra Trese, a detective who specializes in supernatural cases.

Originally intended to be released with just 13 cases, all issues are stand-alone cases except for issues from Mass Murders, where Case #9-13 are all related, using different cues from the previous books. Volumes 1 & 2 contain self-contained chapters 1-8, where it introduces to the strange and weird world on (and under) the streets of Manila. This self-contained story ideal comes (as Tan says) from his idol Warren Ellis - to create a self-contained story in short, perfect tales. But again, the similarities between early Jamie Delano written Hellblazer comics is obvious – each story of Trese builds up her mystique and introduces a little more of her background in Manila, just as Delano did in Original Sins.

In Volume 3, Tan starts to develop the story beyond the single issue story structure he’s used so far, taking us back in time to the moment where 15-year-old Alexandra Trese joined her father Anton on her first case. And along the way we find out the origins of her constant companions and bodyguards; the stylish, ultra cool and very deadly Kambal.

Main Characters

 * Alexandra Trese - First appeared in Trese #1 Case 1. A strong, independent, modern woman with an old soul deeply attached to the Underworld. Alexandra Trese, or simply Trese, is a private detective who specializes in crimes perpetrated by supernatural beings of the Underworld. She is the proprietor of The Diabolical, a night club that serves the best kapeng barako in the street where it stands, just like the time when it was once a simple cafe run by Trese'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, Trese uses guns and a magical kris called 'Sinag', a short sword having wavy edges, used by the old Muslim tribes such as the Maranaw. Trese seems to have a very complex relationship with her father, Anton.

"My name is Alexandra Trese. I am nothing like my father." - Trese #1


 * Kambal - First appeared in Trese #1 Case 1. "Kambal" literally translates to "twins" in English and they are Alexandra Trese's mysterious and imposing personal bodyguards. It is not known as to what matter of creature the Kambal are, whether they are human or some Underworld species. It is not until the third book that the creators finally explained who the Kambal really are. These handsome, half-bred men are often seen floating, wearing black suits and strikingly unique diamond-shaped masks, one bearing a happy face and the other a sad face. To tell them apart when they don't have their masks, Kajo gave the happy-faced Kambal a long haircut and the sad-faced Kambal, a short hairstyle. The Kambal with the short hair and bears the sad-faced mask is Crispin, the eldest of the Kambal. While the one with the long hair and bears the happy-faced mask answers to the name Basilio, the younger Kambal and the more playful of the two.


 * Captain Guerrero - First appeared Trese #1 Case 1.


 * Tapia - First appeared in Trese #1 Case 1.


 * Hank Sparrow - First appeared in Trese #1 case 3. He is the trusted bartender of The Diabolical. It is said that he loves to listen to stories of customers and if he likes their story he gives them a drink for free. However, according to what Budj wrote, Hank has been a bartender for a long time and has heard all kinds of stories that it has been a long time since he last gave out a free drink.


 * Anton Trese - First mentioned in Trese #1 Case 1. First appeared in Trese #3 Case 1. He is Alexandra Trese's father and the former guardian of Metro Manila.

Supporting Characters

 * Gina Santos - First appeared in Trese #1 Case 1. Gina Santos is a white lady, a ghost whose corpse (or a physical manifestation of her ghost) was found in the intersection of Balete Drive and 13th street. She died back in 1963, when she was run over by a drunk driver while waiting for her lover. Her ghost has haunted that intersection until the day her body was found in present day Manila inside a circle drawn with ground-up mermaid bones.


 * Nuno sa Manhole - First appeared in Trese #1. 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. There is a superstition that if you disturb a nuno's home, it would inflict powerful curses on the poor, unsuspecting human. In the komiks, Trese asked for permission when she passed by a dirt mound, saying "Tabi, tabi po. Good evening po."


 * Aling Terrie - First appeared in Trese# 1 Case 4. A vendor in Quiapo, Manila and one of Alexandra Trese's usual informants.


 * Aswang - First appeared in Trese #1. One of Trese's many persistent enemies.


 * Albert Morales - First appeared in Trese #1 Case 2. A victim of a car crash, Albert Moralez is the third victim in a series of drag racing related accidents in C-5 National Highway. He was last seen racing against a notoriously fast black car. In the crime scene, there were marks resembling hooves of horses seen on Albert's car and in the vicinity. His girlfriend, Katya Sanchez, was reported to be kidnapped after the crash.


 * Tikbalang - First appeared in Trese #1 case 2.


 * Maliksi - First appeared in Trese #1 Case 2. A tikbalang responsible for multiple illegal drag races held on C-5. Son of the Great Stallion and a member of the Armanaz herd.


 * Senor Armanaz - First appeared in Trese #1 case 2. A tikbalang and the head of the Armanaz herd.


 * Mr. Armanaz III - First appeared in Trese #1 Case 2. A member of the Armanaz herd.


 * Santelmo - a friend of Alexandra who assists her in some of her cases. First appeared in Trese #1 case 3.


 * Hannah and Ammie - First appeared in Trese #1 case 2. Hannah and Ammie are Wind-people; they are beings that possess the magical powers of the wind. Hannah is from the Habagat tribe and Ammie is from the Amihan tribe.


 * Manuel - First appeared in Trese #4 Case 4. Manuel is a famous boxer from General Santos City and a prizefighter of Sy Tan.


 * Sy Tan - First appeared in Trese #4 Case 4.

Awards
Trese: Mass Murders won the 29th National Book Award for Best Graphic Literature last 2010. In 2012, it was again nominated for the 31st National Book Award in the same category and won.

Issue Synopses
Each of the individual issues of Trese is structured like a detective case, with Alexandra Trese arriving at a crime scene and going about gathering clues until the case is solved. The following are the individual synopses for each cases as well as various information unique to each issue.


 * 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
 * Case 5: A Little Known Murder in Studio 4
 * Case 6: The Outpost in Kalayaan Street
 * Case 7: Embrace of the Unwanted
 * Case 8: The Association Dues of Livewell Village
 * 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
 * Case 14: Cadena De Amor
 * Case 15: A Private Collection
 * Case 16: Wanted: Bedspacer
 * Case 17: Fight of the Year
 * Case 18: Maverick Rider
 * Case 19: The Judge's Verdict
 * Case 20: Return of the Madame
 * Case 21: The Great Stampede
 * Stories from the Diabolical: The Choir
 * Stories from the Diabolical: One Last Drink at the Diabolical
 * Stories from the Diabolical: The Usual Spot
 * Stories from the Diabolical: Coffee Black
 * Stories from the Diabolical: I Carry Your Heart
 * Stories from the Diabolical: On the First of January
 * Stories from the Diabolical: Last Full Show
 * Precinto 13: A Domestic Disturbance
 * Precinto 13: Premediation
 * Precinto 13: Midnight Patrol

Graphic 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