Fullmetal Edition vol 11 by Hiromu Arakawa

In the latter part of volume ten, Ed asked Lieutenant Hawkeye to tell him the truth about the Ishvalan Civil War, and she finishes her story in this volume.  Part of the many horrors that was the Civil War were some of the human weapons the military created, namely the State Alchemists they emboldened with power to destroy any Ishvalan they saw.  One such weapon was Solf J. Kimblee, the Crimson Lotus Alchemist, a ruthless man who made it his personal mission to wipe out every last Ishvalan.  In this volume, Kimblee is freed from his jail cell to go after one last Isvhalan - Scar.  Edward and Alphonse decide to figure out why Alkahestry is so different than Amestrian Alchemy, but May and her little "cat" have eluded them.  They follow her trail into the North to Fort Briggs, the military's outpost on the frozen border between Amestris and Drachma, where the motto is "Survival of the Fittest".  

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This volume sees the introduction of one of my favorite characters: Major General Armstrong. No, not the muscular, sparkly Strong Arm Alchemist - his big sister, who is the commander of the forces at Fort Briggs.  She's so gruff and trusts no one - the endless winter of Briggs has made her hard and ice cold.  Everyone has to earn her respect and trust from their own merits.  We also meet another Homunculi, so we have almost all of the seven deadly sins accounted for.  There are a lot of moving plot lines in this volume, and it might be difficult to keep tabs on everything between what's happening with Colonel Mustang, the Elric brothers, and Scar and his group. It's best to read this quickly after volume ten and straight into volume twelve.

Sara's Rating: 10/10
Suitability Level: Grades 7-12

Reviews of previous volumes in this series: vol 1, vol 2, vol 3, vol 4, vol 5, vol 6, vol 7, vol 8, vol 9, vol 10

Publisher: VIZ Media
Publication Date: November 10, 2020​
ISBN: 9781421599946 (Hardcover)

​​Tags: Rating: 10/10, Suitability: Middle School, Suitability: High School, Manga, Action Adventure