Alexandra Trese is a detective with supernatural powers and inclinations, and the police chief runs to her when he needs help solving strange cases. (Kind of like Batman and Commissioner Gordon, I guess?) Volume 1 includes four stories: “At the Intersection of Balete and 13th Street,” “Rules of the Race,” “The Tragic Case of Dr. Burgos,” and “Our Secret Constellation.”
My favorite ones are “At the Intersection…” and “The Tragic Case.” I admire the inclusion of traditional Filipino folklore in these mysteries, as I am, truthfully, sick and tired of hearing about vampires. The
The art was made by Kajo Baldisimo, and it is at times inspired and dynamic. I would love to see this in full color, although I know that would be a long shot.
Trese was a very entertaining and quick read. For a four-story volume, it’s pretty slim. (It is actually available in its entirety over here.)
¹ One reason why Buffy the Vampire Slayer is my favorite series is narrative complexity, and multi-arc seasons. While Buffy deals with a different problem each episode, there is always something bigger that is revealed at the end of the season.
One of my main nitpicks with Trese is that it’s a story that’s divided by case, meaning, there isn’t really an overarching narrative.¹ It’s a Monster of the Week, Encyclopedia Brown kind of deal. However, it’s an intentional, conscious decision on the part of Budjette Tan (as he states in the afterword), to make it easier for new readers to jump in at any time. The reason why I like narrative complexity is because it adds a certain depth, texture, and richness to a story, because of all the layers that are added on top of each other. I think that would have allowed me to empathize more with Trese’s character.
What I also liked was that the main character and ultimate icon of badassery is a woman. The character of Trese was originally planned to be a man, but it was later changed to Alexandra, our heroine. I don’t know a lot about her, aside from she’s really good at what she does, and she commands respect from both man and monster. I would love to see a bit more than a peek into her character.
Ultimately, Trese was a great idea and a great premise, but it just didn’t stand out as much as I thought it would, for me. I’m hoping that the later installments will do the trick. I read this on high recommendations from just about everybody, and although it wasn’t at all terrible, there seemed to be something missing from it that made me want to care about Alexandra’s life.
Trese is available at National Book Store and Fully Booked branches.
Format: Black & White, 104 pages
Cover price: Php 140.00
