Comic 1: The Coming of the Toa

"His tale is broken, incomplete. But it is the tale told in my dreams, or close to it. I have been summoned--I and others--to challenge a mighty evil. To defeat it, I will need great power. The Kanohi Masks will give me that power."

- Kopaka's thoughts

The Coming of the Toa was the first issue of the original BIONICLE comic series, and part one of the series' initial storyline. It originally came packaged with the May/June 2001 edition of LEGO Mania Magazine, and was later collected in BIONICLE: Volume 1, BIONICLE: The Saga of Takanuva!, and BIONICLE 1: Rise of the Toa Nuva. The comic centered on Toa Kopaka and Pohatu as they began their quest for the Masks of Power.

Opening
The Legend of Mata Nui

''The island of Mata Nui was once a paradise--until the entity known as Makuta arrived, transforming it into a land of darkness and evil. The natives, called Tohunga, and their leaders, the Turaga, have waited and hoped for heroes who would conquer Makuta and save their home.''

''Now their waiting has come to and end. Six mighty warriors, known as Toa, have arrived on Mata Nui. Each controls a force of nature--fire, air, earth, water, stone, ice. But to triumph over Makuta, they must gather the Kanohi Masks of Power. witch give them greater skills, abilities, and wisdom. The more masks they collect, the more powerful the Toa become.''

''Finding the Masks takes great courage, for Makuta controls the land, sea, and sky of Mata Nui. He also commands a host of terrible creatures known as Rahi, as well as the Manas, fierce predators with power that not single Toa can withstand...''

If the Toa hope to win, they must find the power of the Masks!

Plot
A large canister rests on the sands of an isolated beach. Tiny crabs scuttle around the silent object, only to flee as it opens with a loud hiss. The canister lid erupts off, scattering pieces across the sand. From these parts a mysterious figure emerges, slowly putting itself back together. After many long years of waiting, sleeping countless dark dreams, the figure is finally whole again. And he sets off on his quest of justice. Traveling between snowy mountains, the stranger is surprised that his mask enables him to see through the snow and rock. With this enhanced form of vision, he can easily spot a unexpected visitor watching him. With the flick of a wrist, the hero slams the ground with his sword, unleashing a slippery coating of ice under the spy's feet. The intruder incapacitated, the tall figure interrogates him. The eavesdropper identifies himself as Matoro, a Tohunga, and his captor as a hero who is but part of a larger team, one that must find the hidden Masks of Power to succeed in their mission. The tall stranger demands that Matoro take him to these masks, but the villager declines. The only person who knows where the masks are is Turaga Nuju. Without wasting a moment, the two set off to find this village elder. Unknown to them, their footprints are being followed...

At a chasm, Matoro is speaking to the mysterious figure, discussing plans for a future ice bridge. Suddenly, a creature slams into the villager, bowling him over the edge. Not hesitating for a second, the cold stranger plunges headlong after him. The figure grabs Matoro and quickly creates an ice slide to slow their fall. Now more than ever Matoro is convinced that the newcomer is the figure of destiny the island has been anticipating. And anticipating their arrival is Turaga Nuju, who identifies the stranger as Kopaka, Toa of Ice. Years ago, an evil force named "Makuta" conquered the island and subjected its inhabitants to his dark rule. In order to accumulate power, Kopaka must acquire the Masks of Power for himself. The Toa begins his journey to the first mask, hidden at the "place of far-seeing." On the way, a brown-armored warrior accidentally buries him in a rockslide. Kopaka freezes and smashes his way out, but the other Toa insists on following him. Reaching the top of the mountain, Kopaka finds his quarry: a Kanohi Mask of Shielding. The hero suddenly insists that he and Pohatu climb down immediately. The Mask of X-Ray Vision has just revealed to him the presence of four other powerful beings: the other Toa!

Credits

 * Greg Farshtey - Writer
 * Carlos D'Anda - Penciller
 * Richard Bennett - Inker
 * Alex Sinclair - Colorist

Characters

 * Gali - First appearance
 * Kopaka - First appearance
 * Lewa - First appearance
 * Matoro - First appearance
 * Makuta - Mentioned only; first mentioned
 * Nuju - First appearance
 * Onua - First appearance
 * Pohatu - First appearance
 * Tahu - First appearance

Locations

 * Mata Nui - First appearance
 * Ko-Wahi - First appearance
 * Ko-Wahi Beach - First appearance
 * Ko-Koro - First appearance
 * Mount Ihu - First appearance

Objects

 * Badge of Office - First appearance
 * Ice Pick - First appearance
 * Kanohi - First appearance
 * Great Akaku - First appearance
 * Great Hau - First appearance
 * Great Kakama - First appearance
 * Great Kaukau - First appearance
 * Great Miru - First appearance
 * Great Pakari - First appearance
 * Infected Kanohi - First appearance
 * Noble Matatu - First appearance
 * Powerless Akaku - First appearance
 * Toa Canister - First appearance
 * Toa Tools - First appearance
 * Air Axe - Cover; first appearance
 * Earth Claws - First appearance
 * Fire Sword - Cover; first appearance
 * Feet Additions - First appearance
 * Ice Sword - First appearance
 * Ice Shield - First appearance
 * Water Hooks - Cover; first appearance

Organizations

 * Matoran - First appearance; called "Tohunga"
 * Ko-Matoran - First appearance
 * Rahi - First appearance
 * Nui-Rama - First appearance
 * Ussal - First appearance
 * Toa - First appearance
 * Toa of Air - First appearance
 * Toa of Earth - First appearance
 * Toa of Fire - First appearance
 * Toa of Ice - First appearance
 * Toa of Stone - First appearance
 * Toa of Water - First appearance
 * Toa Teams - First appearance
 * Toa Mata/Toa Nuva - First appearance
 * Turaga - First appearance

Miscellanea

 * Elements/Elemental Powers - First appearance
 * Ice - First appearance
 * Stone - First appearance

Quotes
"I have slept for so long. My dreams have been dark ones. But now I am awakened. Now the scattered elements of my being are rejoined. Now I am whole. And the darkness cannot stand before me."

- Kopaka's first thoughts

"My mask lets me see pathways not seen before--patterns of heat--even through the rock. And I see I have a visitor. My new friend tries to flee. But a coating of ice beneath his feet will bring him back to me."

- Kopaka

"You are Kopaka, who wields the power of winter itself. You saved one of your own people, with no thought to your own safety. You are the one we have waited for."

- Turaga Nuju

Extra Features

 * Mid-comic: Advertisement for promotional BIONICLE events featuring Andy Macdonald.
 * Comic middle: The Toa and the Turaga section discusses the upcoming six Toa and six Turaga sets.
 * Comic end: Advertisement for the BIONICLE.com website.
 * Rear cover: Advertisement for the trading card game BIONICLE: Quest for the Masks.

Continuity

 * This issue, as the first BIONICLE comic, introduces us to many of the series' elements and plot points. Among these is that the Toa are meant to defeat Makuta and free the island of Mata Nui from his evil, a mission which will take them the next three years of story to do so.
 * This issue also introduces us to the plot device of the 2001 story: the Toa need to collect all the Kanohi masks, fighting various Rahi to claim them.
 * Turaga Nuju typically speaks in an unusual language of bird-like chirps and whistles; here he has temporarily abandoned his vow of bird-speak to relate critical knowledge to the amnesic Kopaka.
 * While only Turaga Nuju appears in this comic, all of the Turaga will appear as a group at the beginning of the next issue to relate more critical knowledge, this time to the reader.
 * The six Toa make their first appearance in this issue, and will remain the focus of the comic for the next three years.

Trivia

 * Greg Farshtey begins his ten-year tenure as the sole writer of the BIONICLE comic series with this issue.
 * Carlos D'Anda also begins his five-year tenure as the artist for the BIONICLE series with this issue, departing at the end of the original series' run.
 * Richard Bennett also scores his sole credit on the BIONICLE series here, before handing inking duties over to Randy Elliott.