Comic 8: The End of the Toa?

"The safety of our people is worth any risk. If power is all these creatures understand--then we will show them power!"

- Gali

The End of the Toa? was the eighth issue of the original BIONICLE comic series and the fifth part of The Bohrok Saga storyline. It was initially mailed with the September/October 2002 edition of LEGO Club Magazine, and was later collected in BIONICLE: Volume 1 and BIONICLE 1: Rise of the Toa Nuva. This comic saw the defeat of the Bahrag and the transformation of the Toa into Toa Nuva.

Opening
''Far beneath the surface of Mata Nui, the Toa have encountered a menace unlike any they have known before. Even with the might of the Exo-Toa armor to aid them, the heroes of Mata Nui seem unable to stop Cahdok and Gahdok, the twin rulers of the Bohrok swarms.''

''In desperation, the Toa will soon attempt something they have never dreamed of...something that threatens to unleash energies that will change the Toa forever. Can the Bohrok truly be defeated? And if so, what dread price will the Toa pay for their victory?''

The darkest tales ever told on Mata Nui...are about to come true.

Plot
Deep underground, the Toa engage the Bahrag in battle for the sake of the island. Even with the Exo-Toa armor, it is not going well. Lewa is frozen, and Kopaka buried. Gali is overwhelmed with smothering waves of heat, while Onua and Pohatu are tricked into fighting illusions. Tahu take his stance against the twin queens. While their Fire powers are ineffective against the Toa of Fire, the Bahrag possess all six Bohrok powers, and pelt him with Stone. Tahu manages to protect himself with his Kanohi Hau, but he can't hold out for long. Gali notices his plight, but is too weak to intervene. She alerts Pohatu, who hurls a boulder between the Toa of Fire and the Bahrag queen. Tahu commands the others to abandon their armor, since it hinders their powers. The six surround the twins, uniting their powers to create a cage of crackling energy. Immediately after their victory, the ground shudders underneath the heroes, dropping them into tubes of energized protodermis. The mysterious substance swirls around them, hissing and crackling. In a blinding flash, the Toa are transformed. Silently the platforms return to the surface. The Toa emerge from the tubes in an explosion, shocked at their sudden transformation. Kopaka and Onua marvel at their increased powers, but Tahu is more concerned with other matters: where are the Bahrag, and how do the Toa escape? The chamber shudders, sending boulders plummeting toward the heroes. With nowhere to run, Tahu activates his Mask of Shielding. To his astonishment, the mask's power protects the entire team. Thinking quickly, Kopaka instructs Lewa and Pohatu to combine their mask powers, allowing the Toa to fly out of the subterranean chamber. ''A swarm of Tahnok charge towards them, raging out of control without the Bahrag's direction. Onua shares the power of his Mask of Strength with the others, enabling them to create a hole in the cavern's stone floor. The Tahnok fall into the newly-created chasm, and Kopaka seals the pit with ice over them. The tunnel continues to collapse, forcing the Toa to flee.'' The team burst out of the Bohrok Nest, exuberant in their victory. Tahu declares the team transformed, Toa no more. Instead, he christens them...Toa Nuva!

Credits

 * Greg Farshtey - Writer
 * Carlos D'Anda - Penciller
 * Randy Elliott - Inker
 * Ken Lopez - Letterer
 * Peter Pantazis - Colorist & Separator

Characters

 * Cahdok
 * Gahdok
 * Gali/Gali Nuva - First appearance as Toa Nuva
 * Kopaka/Kopaka Nuva - First appearance as Toa Nuva
 * Lewa/Lewa Nuva - First appearance as Toa Nuva
 * Onua/Onua Nuva - First appearance as Toa Nuva
 * Pohatu/Pohatu Nuva - First appearance as Toa Nuva
 * Tahu/Tahu Nuva - First appearance as Toa Nuva
 * Tahnok - Special edition only

Locations

 * Mata Nui
 * Bohrok Nest

Objects

 * Bohrok Shields - In special edition
 * Fire Shields - In special edition
 * Exo-Toa
 * Kanohi
 * Golden Kanohi
 * Great Akaku
 * Great Hau
 * Great Kakama
 * Great Kaukau
 * Great Miru
 * Great Pakari
 * Kanohi Nuva - First appearance
 * Akaku Nuva - First appearance
 * Hau Nuva - First appearance
 * Kakama Nuva - First appearance
 * Kaukau Nuva - First appearance
 * Miru Nuva - First appearance
 * Pakari Nuva - First appearance
 * Krana - Special edition only
 * Toa Seal - First appearance
 * Toa Tools
 * Air Axe
 * Air Katana - First appearance
 * Aqua Axes - First appearance
 * Climbing Claws - First appearance
 * Earth Claws
 * Feet Additions
 * Fire Sword
 * Ice Blade - First appearance
 * Ice Shield
 * Ice Sword
 * Magma Swords - First appearance
 * Mizuni Rotors - First appearance
 * Quake Breakers - First appearance
 * Water Hooks

Organizations

 * Bohrok Swarms
 * Bahrag
 * Bohrok
 * Toa
 * Toa of Air
 * Toa of Earth
 * Toa of Fire
 * Toa of Ice
 * Toa of Stone
 * Toa of Water
 * Toa Teams
 * Toa Mata/Toa Nuva - First appearance as Toa Nuva

Miscellanea

 * Elements/Elemental Powers
 * Air
 * Earth
 * Fire
 * Ice
 * Stone
 * Water
 * Energized Protodermis - First appearance

Quotes
"You dared challenge the Bohrok swarm? You have no hope! -- The mission will proceed! You dared oppose your brothers! Therefore you must fall! Mata Nui will be cleansed!"

- Gahdok

"Fools! You think you have won...but you cannot imagine what you have unleashed!"

- Gahdok

"Nothing has been lost. The protodermis had given us the power to protect our people from any danger...and to heal this shattered land! Once we were Toa...but now we are far, far more...Now and forevermore, we are... TOA NUVA!"

- Tahu Nuva

Extra Features

 * Comic middle: Toa Nuva--The Power Lies Beneath section discusses the Toa Nuva and their new tools.
 * Comic end: Advertisement for BIONICLE: Toa Nuva Reconstruct trading card game, New at BIONICLE.com section and advertisement for Toa Nuva trivia game at Toys'R'Us; Discover the Power of the Kanohi Nuva section discusses the new powers of the enhanced masks.
 * Rear cover: Advertisement for BIONICLE shoes from Nike.

Continuity

 * This issue picks up immediately after the events of the previous comic, where the tables were turned in the Toa's fight against the Bahrag queens.
 * This issue sees the introduction of Energized Protodermis, a powerful and mysterious substance linked to Destiny. Exposure to this liquid transforms the Toa into an enhanced form, dubbed "Toa Nuva" by Tahu.
 * On that same note, this issue sees the first appearance of the Toa Nuva, who would remain the focus of the comic series until the end of 2003. The team would later reappear in 2008's Battle for Power sub-series.
 * Concurrent with the Toa Nuva, this issue sees the introduction of Kanohi Nuva as a concept, with these enhanced masks allowing their user to share the Kanohi's power with those nearby.

Errors

 * On page 12, Lewa is mis-colored as Tahu. On the next page, Lewa is again mis-colored, this time as Pohatu. Poor fella can't seem to catch a break.

Trivia

 * This comic came in two different versions. The first was the normal comic mailed to LEGO Club members, while the second variant was a Limited Edition Foil Cover.