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A pregnant woman carries a distinct fragrance. And for an aswang—a creature of the night—that attacks the forgotten and sleepy town of San Marcelino, the baby carried by Makisig’s wife is the most fragrant. In the midst of the struggle and pursuit of humans by the beast, the protagonist farmer unravels his complicated life. Through effort, exploitation, resistance, and extraordinary opportunities, what is the true boundary between being human and being a monster?

When the creature is finally captured, the townsfolk demand its death. But before judgment is passed, the aswang begins to speak—revealing a story of suffering and transformation. In a moment that blurs fate and fury, a rock no larger than a garlic clove alters the course of a life forever. Like many born of darkness, the aswang of San Marcelino is no accident, but the result of wounds inflicted by the very society that condemns it. In the stillness of night, through the glint of claws and fangs, the monster discovers the justice it has long hungered for.

Randy Valiente and Aurelio Castro III’s graphic novel explores the aswang and the nation as modern phenomena, both driven by an insatiable hunger. The nation sacrifices for its citizens’ welfare, offering its “blood,” while the aswang consumes “blood” to satisfy its own cravings. Nagalit ang Aswang sa Mahal ng Bawang (The Aswang Raged Against the Price of Garlic) reveals not only the creature’s origins, but the deeper truth behind why it recoils from garlic—and what that aversion truly means in a world where monsters and men may not be so different after all.