The graphic novel written in Filipino presents a strong female character in the form of Ella Arcangel, a 12-year old who uses her psychic abilities to protect her community from evil supernatural beings. Julius Villanueva’s Ella Arcangel series is the perfect gift for young Filipino girls. Ella Arcangel series by Julius Villanueva – features a strong, young, female main character You can also get a physical copy of the latest edition of this book from Arnold Arre’s website. While it is one of the OGs Filipino mythology comics, you can buy a digital copy of the book and read it from your device at Penlab.ink. The story follows UP Diliman Anthropology student Nicole Lacson and the friends she meets in Mythology Class as they catch engkantos (supernatural creatures) that are causing trouble in the late 1990s to early 2000s Metro Manila. Being among the first to do a masterful, modern retelling of Philippine mythology, he was considered ahead of his time. The Mythology Class by Arnold Arre – one of the first graphic novels about Philippine mythologyĪrnold Arre put Filipino comic readers in awe with his brilliant use of Philippine mythology when The Mythology Class was first published in 1999. It has more narrative parts, with letters from the readers of Alejandro’s journal describing their own encounters with mythical beasts.Ģ. Meanwhile, the second book The Black Bestiary: An Alejandro Pardo Compendium features the journal of Alejandro’s assistant, Kolya. Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, with monster hunter Alejandro Pardo as the main character of a journal-style narrative especially in the first book The Lost Journal of Alejandro Pardo: Creatures and Beasts of Philippine Folklore. Tan’s approach in this book is likened to J.K.

Instead, the writer uses our indigenous mythical creatures and themes to come up with his own myths. With ambitious worldbuilding, Trese author Budjette Tan strays away from the usual storytelling of Philippine folklore in Alejandro Pardo Chronicles. Image credit: David Hontiveros, Kajo Baldisimo, Bow Guerrero, Mervin Malonzo Alejandro Pardo Chronicles by Budjette Tan – ambitious worldbuilding We’ve rounded up the very best of them so you can start binge-reading ASAP.ġ. Plenty of existing mythology books and graphic novels by Filipino authors delve into the world of Filipino mythical creatures. Thankfully, we don’t need to wait for another web series. Whether you were satisfied with the series or not, it left many of us yearning for more. This year, Netflix’s adaptation of the comic Trese put Filipino mythology centerstage, giving us a glimpse of a modern retelling of our rich folklore.

Tabi Po by Mervin Malonzo