Viz Media Acquires Special 'Fullmetal Alchemist' Artbook

Fullmetal Alchemist has had a bit of a resurgence lately as the series was recently adapted into a live-action film last year in Japan, and even more recently became available for streaming in the United States thanks to Netflix.

The renewed fervor for the series also means it's now viable to release extra goodies for fans, and thanks to VIZ Media, fans can soon get their hands on previously unavailable art from the series.

Announcement: The Complete Art of Fullmetal Alchemist coming November 2018. This deluxe hardcover art book will feature art from the manga series, including pieces never shared with North American audiences. pic.twitter.com/Y5AwRrheB1

— VIZ (@VIZMedia) March 2, 2018

VIZ Media announced that they will release The Complete Art of Fullmetal Alchemist, a hardcover art book featuring art from Hiromu Arakawa's original manga run with all new art never before seen by North American fans.

While pre-order details are vague, the book will release this November and will be available to purchase for $34.99. It's definitely going to be a must have for many fans old and new.

For those unfamiliar with Fullmetal Alchemist, the series was first created by Hiromu Arakawa. The story follows two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, who learn alchemy in order to bring back their deceased mother. After a terrible miscalculation, however, the two brothers pay a terrible price with Alphonse even losing his body and linking his soul to a suit of armor. As the two boys search for an alchemy that will restore their bodies to their original forms, they join the military and deal with a whole host of new political, ethical, and moral issues.

The series ran in Square Enix's Monthly Shonen Gangan magazine from August 2001 to June 2010. It was collected into 27 volumes, and was localized for an English language release by Viz Media. It has sold 67 million copies worldwide, and was later adapted into two anime series from studio Bones.

Bones' first attempt in 2003 successfully ran for 51 episodes, but was marred by fans for its pacing issues and deviations from the original source. Bones produced a more faithful adaptation in 2009 with Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, and most fans assumed the live-action film would parallel this series since it was pretty much beat for beat with the original source.

The recently released live-action adaptation for Fullmetal Alchemist has been met with fan acclaim, but this view isn't exactly shared by critics as the film seeks to include as much of the original series' material as possible in order to please fans.