GeekMatic!: Trese: Stories from the Diabolical!

11.03.2013 – Halloween may be over but the adventures of Alexandra Trese never stop as long as the city is safe for everyone. But usually the story doesn’t focus on Ms. Trese as most of the readers may come to think.

There are other interesting characters and one peculiar individual by the name of Hank Sparrow come to mind. In reality he is based on a real person named Hank Palenzuela. Most people would identify him as Captain Jack Sparrow… Yes that drunken pirate.

If you haven’t seen Hank as Captain Jack then you must be living under a rock. He exists in the world of Alexandra Trese as the bartender for Diabolical. He’s somewhat described by Budjette Tan as the Alfred to Batman. The longest serving employee of the Trese clan dating back to Alexandra’s Grand Father and he’s past is still mystery.

You can see the character make appearances on the series, but most of his spotlight if it’s a movie is being gutted in the editing floor. But with the success of Trese there would be spin offs like Precinct 13 and then there’s Trese: Stories from the Diabolical.

Trese: Stories from the Diabolical is a compilation of five tales which happened during some chapters of the regular series. Some are expanded from the chapters that were from the first three books. Most of them first appeared at the Trese Komix blogsite and it focus on Hank Sparrow’s tale about his employer’s misadventures.

The five stories are: One Last Drink at the Diabolical which something to do with Mermaids. is about two lovers that have something to do with Valentines Day. The Last Full Show delves into that mystery theater. The Choir more likely connected to one chapter in the regular series about children being abducted. Then finally you got Coffee Black about one guy’s life and about trying to move on after a loss of someone close.

All five stories are as interesting as interconnected to the world of Trese. Kajo Baldisimo handles the pencil art in a different approach from his usual extravagance. If you missed his first solo exhibit at The Crucible a week ago the thirteen artworks featured in one frame is taken from “One Last Drink at the Diabolical.”

Budjette and Kajo take a different approach to novelize the side stories in Diabolical, which makes them expand not only the world of Trese but also how they tell a story. It might not be as kick ass on how the regular series unravel, but they continue to experiment and challenge themselves in sharing these adventures in a different format.

Hank Sparrow mostly talks about the stories that happened at the Diabolical and it might not be as polished for you to take in, but it definitely make the character the central figure in this book.

If you happen to see Hank don’t get confuse him from the comic book character in the Trese series because HE IS the one and the same.

Overall “Trese: Stories from the Diabolical” expands the adventures of Alexandra, but entirely told by Hank Sparrow. But you feel left out about who is Hank Sparrow for real in this realm of fiction? Does he have supernatural powers or is he immortal?

Budjette might have concocted a special drink for everyone to be distracted about Hank’s stories rather than reveal the character’s origin. There are more stories to tell before that’s revealed, but when you’re at the Diabolical you still need to get coffee once you’re sober and come back some other time.

Trese: Stories of Diabolical was released during Aklatan: The First All-Filipino Book Festival in September retailed at PhP 140.00 pesos ($3.24 US Dollars) from Visprint Inc!