Comic 12: Realm of Fear

"Tahu! Gali! Kopaka! Onua! Pohatu! Lewa! These six heroes are united by destiny to save the universe from the threat of the Brotherhood of Makuta and awaken the Great Spirit Mata Nui! Together, they are the Toa Nuva!"

- Narration

Realm of Fear was the twelfth issue of the relaunched BIONICLE Ignition comic series and the first comic in the Battle for Power sub-series. It was packaged with the March/April 2008 edition of the LEGO Club Magazine, and was later collected as part of the graphic novel BIONICLE 7: Realm of Fear. It was jointly published by DC Comics and LEGO. This comic saw the Toa Nuva travel to Karda Nui to fight the Brotherhood of Makuta.

Plot
Karda Nui: the day after Toa Mahri Matoro sacrificed himself to save the Great Spirit Mata Nui. Tanma, Solek, and Photok fly for their lives from the Brotherhood of Makuta. Vamprah releases his Tridax Pod, unleashing its light-sucking Shadow Leeches within. Tanma incinerates one, and the Matoran continue their desperate race for safety in the Stalactite Villages. Suddenly, Toa Nuva Lewa, Kopaka, and Pohatu appear in the air before them. Without wasting a moment, the Toa leap into combat against the Makuta. Lewa attempts to catch one of the released Shadow Leeches, but Tanma flies into him in order to keep the Toa of Air from corrupting himself. Unexpectedly, the physical contact between the Av-Matoran and the Toa triggers a psychic link, revealing to Lewa the history of the Av-Matoran colony and the Makuta invasion. Kopaka and Pohatu examine their new armor and weapons, with Pohatu accidentally attacking Makuta Antroz with a ball of light. The Makuta retreat, allowing the Toa Nuva to split up and assess the situation. Elsewhere, Chirox criticizes the Brotherhood's purpose in Karda Nui.

Antroz overrules his brother's concerns, and sends for Makuta Icarax to come join them, while he plans a surprise for the Toa. In the Matoran village, Pohatu and Photok spot one of the Shadow Matoran, Radiak, who claims to have escaped from the Makuta with knowledge of their secret plan. Despite the danger, the Toa of Stone chooses to accept the risk for the sake of protecting the enemy Matoran. Predictably enough, the situation is a trap, with the Makuta desiring to lure out the Toa from the illuminating protection of the Lightvines lining the village. Chirox grabs the two and slams them to the ground with a Shadow Hand. Kopaka and Lewa arrive as reinforcements. Lewa keeps Antroz at bay with a cyclone, while Kopaka underestimates Vamprah's combat prowess. Lewa and Tanma flee from the fight, knowing they lack the power alone to defeat the Makuta. On Destral, Icarax chooses to answer Antroz's summons, itching for a fight. And lastly, at the bottom of a massive swamp beneath the Stalactite Villages, the Kanohi Ignika rests after Matoro's sacrifice. Sensing the presence of others who crave its power for their own destructive purposes, the mask uses its powers over life to create a body for itself, acting as its own guardian. Now it chooses to experience life as a hero, dubbing itself "Toa Ignika"!

'''Coming in July: Toa Nuva vs. Makuta in an all-out battle in the Swamp of Shadows! '''

Credits

 * Greg Farshtey - Writer
 * Leigh Gallagher - Artist
 * Ulises Arreola - Colorist
 * SwandS - Letterer
 * Toby Dutkiewicz - Art Director/Design
 * Jessica Numsuwankijkul - Editor

Characters

 * Antroz - First appearance
 * Chirox - First appearance
 * Gali Nuva - Mentioned only
 * Gavla - First appearance
 * Icarax - First appearance
 * Kirop - First appearance
 * Kopaka Nuva - First appearance in sky-adapted form
 * Lewa Nuva - First appearance in sky-adapted form
 * Mata Nui - Mentioned only
 * Matoro - Mentioned only
 * Onua Nuva - Mentioned only
 * Photok - First appearance
 * Pohatu Nuva - First appearance in sky-adapted form
 * Radiak - First appearance
 * Solek - First appearance
 * Tahu Nuva - Mentioned only
 * Tanma - First appearance
 * Teridax - Indirectly mentioned
 * Toa Ignika - First appearance
 * Vamprah - First appearance

Locations

 * Destral - First appearance
 * Karda Nui - First appearance
 * Stalactite Villages - First appearance
 * Swamp of Secrets - First appearance
 * Matoran Universe - Mentioned only

Objects

 * Adaptive Armor - First appearance
 * Kanohi
 * Great Avsa - First appearance
 * Great Jutlin - First appearance
 * Great Kraahkan
 * Great Shelek - First appearance
 * Legendary Ignika - First appearance as Toa Ignika
 * Powerless Akaku
 * Powerless Avsa
 * Powerless Jutlin
 * Powerless Kakama
 * Powerless Miru
 * Powerless Shelek
 * Kanohi Nuva
 * Akaku Nuva - Sky-adapted form
 * Kakama Nuva - Sky-adapted form
 * Miru Nuva - Sky-adapted form
 * Kraata
 * Shadow Leeches - First appearance
 * Lightvine - First appearance
 * Power Swords - First appearance
 * Toa Tools
 * Air Saber - First appearance
 * Blizzard Blade - First appearance
 * Lifeblade - First appearance
 * Midak Skyblaster - First appearance
 * Skyboard - First appearance
 * Twin Propellers - First appearance
 * Tridax Pods - First appearance

Organizations

 * Brotherhood of Makuta
 * Great Spirit - Mentioned only
 * Makuta
 * Matoran
 * Av-Matoran
 * Shadow Matoran
 * Phantoka
 * Toa
 * Toa of Air
 * Toa of Ice
 * Toa of Shadow - Mentioned only
 * Toa of Stone
 * Toa Teams
 * Toa Mata/Toa Nuva

Miscellanea

 * Destiny - Mentioned only
 * Elements/Elemental Powers
 * Air
 * Ice - Mentioned only
 * Light
 * Shadow
 * Stone
 * The Plan - Mentioned only
 * Protosteel
 * Treespeak

Quotes
"Well, I don't see any Toa around. Do you, Solek? We're on our own here--like we've always been--and we'll stand or fall on our own. And it's going to be "fall" if those monsters get any closer!"

- Tanma

"Let them try to run! Where can they hide? What shadow can conceal them, when the darkness belongs to us?"

- Makuta Antroz

"Trickery, plots, and schemes will not defeat Toa Nuva...only power will do that. And I am power. I will go to Karda Nui and save my brothers from dirtying their claws in battle. Then we will see who leads the Brotherhood of Makuta...Oh yes...then we shall see indeed."

- Makuta Icarax

Extra Features

 * Comic middle: Masters of Mutation! section discusses the Mutran and Vican winter titan set; Master of Shadow! section discusses the Makuta Icarax winter titan set.
 * Rear cover: Advertisement for the Toa Ignika winter titan set.

Continuity

 * This issue sees the return of the Toa Nuva to the forefront of the main BIONICLE storyline, as they travel to Karda Nui to finally awaken Mata Nui, a quest they have been on for the last eight years of comics.
 * Tahu, Gali, and Onua are all mentioned, but do not appear in this issue. Instead, their appearance is saved for the next comic.
 * This issue also sees the first appearance of other Makutas, all of whom are part of the Brotherhood of Makuta, an organization which has been discussed in other media for the previous couple years and now makes its first appearance.
 * Kraata also return for the first time since 2003's Comic 15: Secrets and Shadows; the Shadow Leeches which the Makuta use to convert Matoran of Light into Shadow Matoran are actually a type of mutated Kraata.

Trivia

 * This was the first BIONICLE comic which Leigh Gallagher illustrated for LEGO. His tenure with the company would be brief, lasting only for the four issues of 2008's Battle for Power sub-series.