Fullmetal Alchemist (2007)

[鋼の錬金術師]

Volume 16

Author/Artist: Hiromu Arakawa
Publisher: Gangan Comics

Synopsis:
After learning about the Ishval Civil War from Lieutenant Hawkeye, Ed renews his commitment to restoring his and Al's bodies.

Story/Characters:
We wrap up our look back on the Ishval Civil War and this get the Elrics on track with their next objective, with a little nudging courtesy of Major Armstrong. This takes us to the frozen north and the hardy souls garrisoning Fort Briggs, commanded by the Major's sister Olivier. Olivier is interesting in her utter ruthlessness, especially compared to her soft-hearted brother. I really like the attention to detail given to Fort Briggs, its environment and its garrison. The part Ishvari Major Miles nicely dovetails with Ed's recent exposure to the civil war.

Running parallel to the Elrics' adventure, Scar and his bunch also head north once Mei leaves the care of Dr. Knox. And to keep the pressure up, Kimblee is released from prison and tasked with causing some trouble in that neck of the woods too. This is another way to weave in our recent look back at the civil war. We also have Colonel Mustang doing what he can behind the scenes.

Art:
The art maintains the quality you'd expect. We get a pretty good fight between Scar and Kimblee and Captain Buccaneer has a cool automail design.

Other:
We get an alternate take on Scar's reconstructive surgery in the bonus comic and we get three 4-koma.

Conclusion:
I really like how all the threads are interwoven here. It shows off just how much more refined the storytelling has become since the first volume. We've got big things on the horizon, and this is definitely worth a read.

Rating:
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