GRAPHIC NOVELS FOR WORLD FOLKTALES AND FABLES WEEK

Looking for something interesting to read this World Folktales and Fables Week? Here’s a list of interesting graphic novels that may just be what you’re looking for.

The Mythology Class by Arnold Arre

Published in the late 1990s, The Mythology Class by Arnold Arre is still an interesting read now as it was when it first came out.

Combining characters of Philippine Mythology with Filipino legends such as Kubin, Lam-ang and Sulayman, this title tells the story of how a group of UP college students find themselves recruited by the mysterious Mrs. Enkanta, who charges them to capture engkatos that’ve have escaped into the real world.

With elements of romance, action and adventure, The Mythology Class successfully infuses age-old Filipino Myths into its plot, with sub-plots driven by fickle-but-humanly-relatable characters.

Elmer by Gerry Alanguilan

Gerry Alanguilan’s Elmer touches up on some of life’s serious realities – racism, the pangs of preferential treatment and the delays of justice.

It takes place in a fictional world where chickens have acquired the same intelligence capacities as humans, where the life of Jake Gallo is the focus of “visual commentaries” of a world that is ruled by an age old feudalistic-like social structure.

Far from being Alanguilan’s debut work (Alanguilan remains to be one of the more established komikerios in the Philippine Comics scene, with his inks touching international titles like Superman, Batman, and more) Elmer is a standout story which largely gives the concept of fables a contemporary twist.

Trese: Unreported Murders by Budjette Tan and Kajo Baldisimo

The second in a series of four books, Trese: Unreported Murders is driven by a noir detective-story theme that’s steeped in Filipino myths and supernatural pretexts.

It brings readers to the world of Alexandra Trese, a police consultant who is often called in when it comes to strange and unusual cases. Trese: Unreported Murders combines four different short stories, and reading them in order isn’t really required.

Fables by Bill Willingham

Published by DC Comics’ DC Black Label (formerly Vertigo) imprint, Fables is a retelling of the lives of various characters from various fairy tales and folklore.

The characters formed a clandestine community in New York City centuries ago, after fleeing from their “homelands” due to a mysterious and deadly enemy known as “The Adversary”, and largely tells of their day-to-day undertakings living in exile.

A critical and commercial success, the series bagged many Eisner Awards – the Oscars for comics, if you will. The initial arc of the series was illustrated by Filipino comic book artist Lan Media who is recognized as the first Filipino artist to win an Eisner Award.