Trese: Murder on Balete Drive

(should-have-written-ages-ago-review)

Trese is a cute read. Although sometimes it seems a bit "pa-cool" to me as the character Trese sometimes rubs off, but the character's indifference makes the this-is-cool part actually cool.

What I mean is, Trese is lots of punches and kicks and sound effects (without leaving the noir mood) and the likes. From the point of view of having only read four cases: it's cute, it's good, it's fucking cool because it doesn't contain much pesky character angst or woe-is-me shit. Not yet anyway. (Unless you count "The Tragic Case of Dr. Burgos" which isn't really tragic. Just pathetic.)

Although I don't think I'm going to go all fangirl-y on it yet. I kind of expected actual mystery, crime-solving, and readers-acting-like-detectives but all I got was cavemen-clubbing with style. Which, I already said, is cool and all but it doesn't hurt to add just a little bit more salt. Having already said that, more pages please. Or more issues in a collection please. Or less cheesy narration and more drawings please.

When I was younger, I wasn't into reading comic books like these because the stories always felt too short (as opposed to short stories and novels) and I'd be left hanging. But then again, when I was younger, there were no comic books like Trese. The local-made kind of comic books anyway. Sure I laughed with Carlo Vergara and took a guilty-pleasure cruise trip with Arnold Arre but if we're supposedly outsourcing lots and lots of artists to Marvel and DC, where the hell is our comic book industry? (If cultural imperialism and money problems are the answers, don't say a word.)

So I'm just going to thank Trese for the contribution. Besides, the drawings are teh prettiest black and white sketches. Ah, my weak spot: sketch-a-like drawings.

Case 1: "At the Intersection of Balete and 13th Street"
This is the best case among the other cases in the collection. It does a nice job of introducing the feel of the comics and it will successfully hook you in for more. I sound like an ad.

Case 2: "Rules of the Race"
The tikbalang patriarchy is a very, very nice touch. I love drawings of big looming trees inside fancy buildings.

Case 3: "The Tragic Case of Dr. Burgos"
Cats! Lots and lots of cats! Also, like I've said: pathetic man.

Case 4: "Our Secret Constellation"
A Mars Ravelo tribute. With a moral lesson of: Another Pathetic Man or This Is What You Get If You Let Men Save You, They Fucking Screw Up (Since They Do Not Know the Difference Between Saving and Revenge).




ps.
I do not hate men. I think they're cute.

6/10