Review by Karl Verhoven

For those coming to Trese for the first time, it presents a version of Manila where supernatural entities exist among ordinary humans, who’re protected by an accord forbidding their victimisation. When this is ignored Alexandra Trese comes calling, and she’s not a woman to mess with in this stylish horror thriller.

Over earlier stories artist Kajo Baldisimo has made atmospheric use of Manila’s changeable weather, but Budjette Tan has never previously used the weather as the focus for a story. That changes with the emergence of aquatic supernatural creatures making poor Janjan’s experiences even worse as the city floods in heavy rainfall, which affects the remaining content also. However, as grim as Janjan’s day is in the opening story it’s the secondary focus after Tan introduces Carlos Trese and his slashing swords. He’s known as the Verdugo. What’s going on? The Trese we know is the downbeat Alexandra. Carlos isn’t a man of many words, though, and his dialogue is of the Punisher variety as in “Die quickly or die slowly. You choose”.

Without further explanation Alexandra turns up in the second story, which even more so than the first is a showcase for Baldisimo’s artistic virtuosity. His pages of standard storytelling can look ordinary, but there’s always a shift of gear into something spectacular, and ‘Casa Lanan’ illustrates that more than most, and several times.

It seems Tan is once again telling single stories, but while there are individual threats, connections run through them and from Midnight Tribunal as Tan amplifies the major threat chapter by chapter. Superhero Maverick Rider is seen again, as is the mysterious and powerful Madame, keen to be publicly recognised as a community asset. Her background and connection with the corrupt city Governor is disclosed, and she’s a thinly disguised version of a notoriously corrupt Filipino presence known well beyond her homeland. A creative new threat is a drug dealer selling products temporarily allowing one type of supernatural being to take the form and abilities of another, and the mystery of Carlos is solved before High Tide at Midnight ends.

While the supernatural is integral to the series, it’s always been confined to the dark corners, and threats have always been quickly dealt with, but what develops here requires more than just Alexandra and her regular pair of helpers. That’s a departure, and eventually this develops into something like The Magnificent Seven, but with a happier ending. It leaves Tan with several intriguing new characters going forward, and he ends with a philosophical discussion dripping with foreboding followed by a second conversation indicating the dangerous route Trese plans to take.