Comic 3: A Hero Reborn

"His name is Gelu. He used to be a Glatorian for the Ice village of Iconox. Then the Skrall attacked the city of Atero.That was when Gelu decided he was ready for a new career. So he quit the arena and hired himself out as an armed guard for caravans crossing the Bara Magna desert. On most days, it was good pay for pretty easy work. This is not one of those days."

- Opening narration

A Hero Reborn was the third issue of the relaunched BIONICLE: Glatorian comic series and the third comic of 2009. It was released with the July/August 2009 edition of the LEGO Club Magazine. The comic was later collected in BIONICLE 9: The Fall of Atero. This issue saw the arrival of Mata Nui and the Mask of Life on Bara Magna.

Plot
On Bara Magna, the former Glatorian Gelu is under assult by Skrall forces. Hard-pressed, he is forced to admit that only a miracle could save him from his predicament. As fate would have it, the sudden appearance of a shooting star landing nearby distracts the Skrall long enough for the Ice Tribe warrior to make good his escape. Elsewhere, an imprisoned Vorox makes attempts to escape from the Skrall city of Roxtus. Stronius re-captures it and discusses strategy with the Skrall leader Tuma. Mid-way through their conversation they are also startled by the appearance of the shooting star. While initially suspicious, Stronius dismisses the meteor as unimportant.

Outside Tesara, Jungle Tribe Glatorian Vastus and Gresh argue with the Agori villager Tarduk about his supposed travels north, ridiculing his account as unbelievable. The warriors insist on focusing on the present threat: the Skrall army. Vastus shoots down a would-be Bone Hunter, only to be perplexed by the nomad's use of a Skrall Saw Blade Shield. Before he can puzzle out the meaning of this, the three are distracted by the same shooting star as before. In the Fire Tribe city of Vulcanus, Kiina duals Ackar in a training match. Raanu warns Ackar of the need to sharpen his skills before dualing Strakk. Mid-conversation, the three are interrupted by the shooting star as well. Deep in the barren wastlands of Bara Magna, the Mask of Life crash-lands, carrying within it the spirit of Mata Nui. The mask uses its power to create a new body for itself: a hero reborn!

Credits

 * Greg Farshtey - Writer
 * Pop Mhan - Artist
 * Ulises Arreola - Colorist
 * Rob Clark Jr. - Letterer
 * Toby Dutkiewicz - Art director/designer
 * Jessica Numsuwankijkul - Editor

Characters

 * Ackar - First appearance
 * Click - First appearance
 * Fero
 * Gelu - First appearance
 * Gresh
 * Kiina - First appearance
 * Mata Nui - First appearance in Glatorian form
 * Raanu
 * Strakk - Mentioned only
 * Stronius - First appearance
 * Tarduk
 * Tarix - Mentioned only
 * Tuma
 * Vastus - First appearance

Locations

 * Bara Magna
 * Tesara
 * Roxtus
 * Valley of the Maze - Indirectly mentioned only
 * Vulcanus
 * Wastelands

Objects

 * Flame Sword - First appearance
 * Fire Blade
 * Fire Shield
 * Jungle Shield
 * Kanohi
 * Great Ignika
 * Ice Slicer - First appearance
 * Saw Blade Shield
 * Skrall Sword
 * Thornax
 * Thornax Launcher
 * Thorned Club - First appearance
 * Vapor Trident - First appearance
 * Venom Talon - First appearance

Organizations

 * Agori
 * Bone Hunters
 * Fire Tribe
 * Ice Tribe
 * Jungle Tribe
 * Glatorian
 * Rock Tribe
 * Sand Tribe
 * Scarabax beetles - First appearance
 * Skrall
 * Elite-class Skrall - First appearance
 * Leader-class Skrall
 * Warrior-class Skrall
 * Vorox
 * Water Tribe

Miscellaneous

 * Elements/Elemental Powers
 * Life
 * Sand mite - Mentioned only

Quotes
"Not sure what made that light in the sky...But it just became my favorite thing in the world. Ever."

- Gelu is relieved

"The Glatorian and Agori cannot eat or sleep, as they wait in fear for our next strike. Where will it come? When? These questions torture them. Let them sweat a while longer."

- Tuma schemes

"Ah, I see it now--only a shooting star. Nothing to worry about. After all, how important could it be?"

- Stronius couldn't be more wrong

"The object falling from the sky was known on another world as the Mask of Life--an ancient object of great power. Its journey to Bara Magna has been a long one...and it has just come to an end."

- Narration

Extra Features

 * Comic middle: The Glatorian Legends Are Ready for Battle section discusses summer canister sets 8984 Stronius, 8985 Ackar, 8986 Vastus, 8987 Kiina, 8988 Gelu, and 8989 Mata Nui.
 * Rear cover: Advertisement for BIONICLE: The Legend Reborn movie, arriving on DVD on September 15, 2009.

Continuity

 * This issue revolves around the arrival of Mata Nui on Bara Magna, after his forcibly-imposed exile from the Matoran Universe in 2008's Comic 15: Mata Nui Rising.
 * Page 1 references the fall of the city Atero, which occurred last issue.
 * On page 12, Tarduk refers to a journey he made up north. These events occurred in the online serial Riddle of the Great Beings.
 * On page 16, newcomer Kiina criticizes Raanu for his caution, reminding him that Ackar recently saved the entire village of Vulcanus. This event occurred in the parallel novel BIONICLE: Raid on Vulcanus.
 * At the end of the comic, the Mask of Life creates a humanoid body from scratch for a second time, after having done so in Comic 12: Realm of Fear.

Errors

 * One page 12, one of Gresh's dialogue bubbles points off-panel, instead of coming from the character himself in-panel.

Trivia

 * There was no BIONICLE: Glatorian comic released with the May/June copy of LEGO Club Magazine.
 * The cover of A Hero Reborn was later re-used as the cover image for the graphic novel collection BIONICLE 9: The Fall of Atero.