Fire Emblem: Sword of the Conqueror (2003)

[ファイアーエムブレム 覇者の剣]

Volume 4

Author: Hiroshi Izawa
Artist: Kotaro Yamada
Publisher: Jump Comics

Synopsis:
Al is given a special mission to follow up on Prince Roy's expedition to the Western Isles.

Story/Characters:
The plot thickens in this volume. If you know the main story, you get a different perspective on the first act screw job. Echidna shows up, which is cool. We get a Navarre-type in Kilmer, who's fairly cool. The cliffhanger at the end of the volume is outstanding. I'll give Izawa and Yamada credit for that.

Art:
I haven't mentioned it before, but I really need to give Yamada credit for the brilliantly rendered backgrounds, particularly the architecture. Bern Castle is particularly impressive. The action is on a smaller scale, so it doesn't make as much of an impact as the previous volume. The Kilmer vs. Zappa fight is pretty good, though.

Other:
We get character sheets for Cecilia and Echidna and an afterword comic from the artist.

Conclusion:
This is a decent enough continuation of the story with a killer finish (though the fact that I like the cliffhanger so much actually reflects poorly on the original content). If you're enjoying the series well enough, go ahead and give this a read.

Rating:
Read It