Bookworm of Gensan goes sleuthing: Is Trese 4: Last Seen at Midnight featuring a chapter on a Pacquiao look-a-like boxer set in Gensan?!?

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 "TRESE 4 is now in GenSan! (How... appropriate :-)" was intriguing and tickled my Sherlockian instinct. I sensed a mystery afoot.


And today I saw this video "Trese4 Trailer" on Youtube: 

If you watch the above video, at 0:58-0:58, you will see a chapter page "The Fight of the Year" with Kajo's drawing of a boxer who looks like Manny Pacquiao with black eyes.


Then in the description below the video is a synopsis of the said chapter:

As I read the description, a litany of OMG's spewed from my mouth to join the cascading drool! Gensan and Pacman in Trese 4! How cool is that!

Locator map for Case 17: The Fight of the Year (photo courtesy of Budjette Tan)

But wait! Is Budjette pulling my leg? Or is a tiyanak doing that? 

I took out my copies of the first three volumes of Trese and examined the settings of each case/chapter:


Volume 1: 
Case 1 - At the intersection of Balete and 13th street (Balete Drive)
Case 2 - Rules of the Race (Carlos Garcia Avenue - C5)
Case 3 - The Tragic Case of Dr. Burgos (Paco)
Case 4 - Our Secret Constellation (Malate)


Volume 2:
Case 5 - A Little Known Murder in Studio 4 (Mother Ignacia Avenue)
Case 6 - The Outpost on Kalayaan Street (Kalayaan Avenue)
Case 7 - Embrace of the Unwanted (Ortigas Avenue)
Case 8 - The Association Dues of Livewell Village (J. P. Rizal, Makati)


Volume 3:
Case 9 - A Private Retaliation (Cubao)
Case 10 - Patient 414 in Mandaluyong (Mandaluyong)
Case 11 - The Fort Bonifacio Massacre (Fort Bonifacio)
Case 12 - The Baptism of Alexandra Trese (Malate)
Case 13 - An Act of War (New Bilibid Prison)


Volume 4: (info taken from the Youtube video description for Trese4 trailer)
Case 14 - Cadena de Amor (Luneta Park)
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!