▪	RELEASED BY:		VIZ MEDIA
		▪	AUTHOR / ART:		HIROMU ARAKAWA
		▪	FORMAT:		JAPANESE / B&W
		▪	PAGES:		192
		▪	RATING:		T
		▪	RELEASE DATE:		12/18/2007
		▪	REVIEW DATE:		12/14/2007
		▪	REVIEWED BY:		HOLLY ELLINGWOOD

In the latest volume of Fullmetal Alchemist the terrible events at Ishbal are at last revealed. In this flashback volume, the beginning and end of the Ishbal War is seen through the eyes of a young Roy Mustang. Learn of the defining moments with that terrible war that forever changed many of the characters readers have come to know.

Ed is seen only briefly in this volume at the beginning of the manga when he returns a gun to Hawkeye, expressing his guilt and regret over recent events. It is then that Hawkeye tells him of about Roy and what happened to create the tragedy of the Ishbal War. This gives readers an in depth look at the turning point in the lives of many of the characters that make up FMA. Not only to you get to see how Roy became a flame alchemist, but also see how he first met Riza Hawkeye and what ended up binding their lives together. During the war, readers will see not only Mustang, but telling moments with Riza, Scar and his brother, King Bradley, Kimblee, Armstrong and Hughes. There is even a look at Winry’s parents and what they were doing in Ishbal and how they met their fate. The whole flashback takes up the entire manga this volume and is a dramatic and moving story about the tragedy of war, its horrors and the fullness of the sorrow violence brings. It outlines what defines Roy and reveals the foundation for his determination as a State Alchemist and what his true goals are for himself, the people who serve him, and the people of Amestria.

Although this is a flashback to a pivotal history in the past, it has upcoming importance in the present. It looks at some of the characters who will be making a return come next volume and an air of foreboding promises that it will not be a good thing for the good people of FMA.

IN SUMMARY:
This volume of Fullmetal Alchemist is a special flashback to the Ishbal war and the moments that defined several key characters of the manga, particularly Roy Mustang and Riza Hawkeye.