Fullmetal Alchemist (2009)

[鋼の錬金術師]

Volume 22

Author/Artist: Hiromu Arakawa
Publisher: Gangan Comics

Synopsis:
Having absorbed Gluttony, Pride proves to be an even more formidable opponent.

Story/Characters:
The fight with Pride continues, requiring a change of strategy. I do like the character interactions that are a result of this strategy being carried out. Meanwhile, in the capital we have Colonel Mustang's group leading an all-out coup and they're not the only ones. General Armstrong makes her move as well and as you'd expect, she and Colonel Mustang have very different philosophies about how to conduct this operation. There are also a number of returning characters remaining in the game, which is great if you dig the continuity like I do. As it's a Chekhov's gun, I feel it's not much of a spoiler to say that the Mannequin Soldiers get activated, so that makes the fight inside Central Command all the more brutal.

Art:
There's lots of action here, which Arakawa excels at portraying, so you'll definitely be enjoying the visuals, though this is nothing new. The Mannequin Soldiers in action is particularly striking and it honestly starts to feel more like Hellsing whenever they're seen on the loose.

Other:
We get a bonus comic explaining the real reason Al is so desperate to save Heinkel and seven 4-koma.

Conclusion:
Things are escalating nicely. It's a good steady burn that keeps things moving forward, spikes and ebbs as needed to avoid overloading the reader. I do feel we're split in a few too many directions, but it's not that much of a problem as it's all connected and some of those points are converging. Give this one a read and look forward to the next one.

Rating:
Read It