Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 2 (Fullmetal Alchemist, #2)

The plot thickens and the characters open up! Edward's characters was revealed to have quite tragic sides as well (besides the ones revealed in the first volume), and I quite like him. The Deadly Sins, or whatever they called, are pretty interesting as well.

This manga addresses surprisingly deep themes in a thoughtful way. "Bloodshed begets bloodshed. Hatred begets hatred. The rage and emotion sinks into the land and stains it with the crest of blood."

I also like the drawing style and the use of panels in this comic. I was particularly impressed how Hiromu used one coloured page to convey a vivid dream – especially when it next turned back to black-and-white and then to a nightmare. Excellent artistry! EDIT: Apparently, the use of the coloured page had nothing to do with the dream but was just the first page of the chapter. Damn.

Plot-wise, the story of Nina and Alexander gave me chills of horror. Holy. Shit. That was absolutely brutal.