Yesterday (October 5) while browsing at National Book Store, Robinsons Place Gensan branch, I was alerted by a saleslady that copies of Trese 4: Last Seen at Midnight (written by Budjette Tan and art by Kajo Baldisimo) have arrived. She showed me a copy of it fresh from the unpacked carton. However she told me that it will be sold nationwide simultaneously starting October 8 yet. So I asked to have a snapshot of it after reserving a copy. (Trese is a graphic novel - on its fourth volume - about the exploits of Alexandra Trese who takes on cases that take a turn for the weird and supernatural).
Upon coming home, I immediately uploaded the photo on Facebook and posted a message in Budjette Tan's wall:
Budjette reposted my message on his FB wall:
His message "
Locator map for Case 17: The Fight of the Year (photo courtesy of Budjette Tan) |
Case 15 - A Private Collection (Manila)
Case 16 - Wanted: Bedspacer (Katipunan Avenue)
Case 17 - The Fight of the Year (General Santos City)
Cases 1-16 are all set in Metro Manila while the last case is set in Gensan! Is this an indication that Budjette and Kajo are finally going against the "restrictions" of Metro Manila and will feature more locales in Visayas and Mindanao (or even abroad where OFWs abound) in Trese's further adventures?
At any rate, this is a welcome deviation and with a nationwide simultaneous release of Trese 4 in National Book Store branches on October 8, Alexandra Trese will finally have a national following of graphic novel readers from Aparri to Jolo!
As I said in Facebook, I'll be first in line to buy a copy of Trese 4 on October 8. Congratulations to Budjette and Kajo for keeping Pinoy graphic novels in our collective consciousness!