Comic 10: Powerless!

"We are the Bohrok Kal. We search for Cahdok and Gahdok, queens of the swarms." "Tell us where you have hidden the Bahrag, and then stand aside. We have no wish to harm helpless foes."

- Nuhvok-Kal and Pahrak-Kal

Powerless! was the tenth issue of the original BIONICLE comic series, and the first part of a new storyline. It was originally mailed together with the January/February 2003 edition of the LEGO Club Magazine, and was later collected in BIONICLE: Volume 1, BIONICLE: The Saga of Takanuva!, and BIONICLE 2: Challenge of the Rahkshi. It fully introduced the Bohrok-Kal as new adversaries for the Toa Nuva.

Opening
''The Toa Nuva have lost their amazing elemental energies. Mysterious beings have stolen the symbols of the Toa Nuva from the villages of Mata Nui, and stripped the heroes of Mata Nui of their fire, ice, water, air, earth, and rock powers.''

''Forced to rely only on the Kanohi Nuva masks--and each other--the Toa Nuva have combined forces to track down the thieves. But what will happen when they confront the island's newest menace? Will the Toa Nuva finally meet defeat--and will they ever rise again?''

Plot
Suddenly powerless, Kopaka Nuva plunges down a cliff. Jamming his blades into the stone walls, he manages to bring his rapid descent to a halt. The Toa Nuva of Ice is not alone in his predicament. All over Mata Nui, mysterious creatures have stolen the Nuva Symbols, rendering each hero powerless and unable to use their elemental abilities. The Toa Nuva gather together and track the bandits to Po-Wahi. Tahu is determined to regain their powers, but Pohatu isn't so sure. Six creatures suddenly appear before the heroes; they declare themselves to be the Bohrok-Kal, and they seek the Bahrag queens. The Toa are determined to stop them, but without their powers, they are quickly outmatched: Lewa becomes magnetized to the ground by Gahlok-Kal, Onua's attacks are dissolved with Pahrak-Kal's plasma assault, and even Tahu's new Hau Nuva is unable to resist a wave of increased gravity from Nuhvok-Kal. Tahnok-Kal's lighting bolts, Kohrak-Kal's sonic pulses, and Levahk-Kal's vacuum blast finish off the heroes. Later, the group awakens to find their attackers gone. Tahu is enraged by this defeat and vows revenge, but Gali cuts him off; they have bigger things to worry about than bruised egos. Should the Bohrok-Kal succeed in their mission, the Bohrok swarms will be free the ravage the island again. Without their powers, the Toa will be hard-pressed indeed to fight the swarms. Tahu re-focuses and forms a plan; the team will split up and try to discover the Bahrag and slow down the Bohrok-Kal. Gali wonders how they can ever hope to prevail, but Lewa and Tahu comfort her: with or without powers, they will find a way.

Credits

 * Greg Farshtey - Writer
 * Randy Elliott - Penciller
 * Elliot & Kryssing - Inkers
 * Ken Lopez - Letterer
 * Peter Pantazis - Colorist & separator
 * Jaye Gardner - Editor
 * Toby Dutkiewicz - Layout & design

Characters

 * Cahdok - Mentioned only
 * Gahdok - Mentioned only
 * Gahlok-Kal - First appearance
 * Gali Nuva
 * Lehvak-Kal - First appearance
 * Lewa Nuva
 * Kohrak-Kal - First full appearance
 * Kopaka Nuva
 * Nuhvok-Kal - First appearance
 * Nuju - Mentioned only
 * Onua Nuva
 * Pahrak-Kal - First appearance
 * Pohatu Nuva
 * Tahnok-Kal - First full appearance
 * Tahu Nuva

Locations

 * Mata Nui
 * Bohrok Nests - Mentioned only
 * Ko-Wahi
 * Po-Wahi

Objects

 * Bohrok-Kal Shields
 * Electricity Shields
 * Gravity Shields - First appearance
 * Magnetism Shields - First appearance
 * Plasma Shields - First appearance
 * Sonics Shields
 * Vacuum Shields - First appearance
 * Kanohi
 * Noble Matatu - Mentioned only
 * Kanohi Nuva
 * Akaku Nuva
 * Hau Nuva
 * Kakama Nuva
 * Kaukau Nuva
 * Miru Nuva
 * Pakari Nuva
 * Nuva Symbols
 * Suva
 * Toa Tools
 * Air Katana
 * Aqua Axes
 * Climbing Claws
 * Ice Blade
 * Ice Shield
 * Magma Swords
 * Mizuni Rotors
 * Quake Breakers

Organizations

 * Bohrok Swarms
 * The Bahrag - Mentioned only
 * Bohrok-Kal
 * 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
 * Turaga - Mentioned only

Miscellanea

 * Elements/Elemental Powers
 * Gravity
 * Lightning
 * Magnetism
 * Plasma
 * Sonics
 * Vacuum

Quotes
"He is Kopaka Nuva, Toa of Ice--bringer of winter, and a hero of Mata Nui...His elemental energies and Kanohi Nuva mask give him great powers. Unfortunately, flying is not one of them."

- Narration

"How did Kopaka lose his ice powers? It all began when strange beings stole the symbols of the Toa Nuva from the six Matoran villages...The effects were felt right away, all over the island...as the Toa Nuva lost their elemental powers, and nothing could bring them back. Suddenly, problems they could have solved easily the day before threatened to become disasters!"

- Narration

"The Bohrok Kal are so powerful... and they have weakened us...How can we hope to win?" "We'll find a way, Gali. We are the heroes of Mata Nui, aren't we? That's what heroes do."

- Gali and Lewa Nuva

Extra Features

 * Comic middle: The Origin of the Bohrok-Kal section by Takua discusses the creation and mission of the Bohrok-Kal.
 * Comic end: The Secret of the Symbols section discusses the Nuva Symbols; 6 Reasons to Visit BIONICLE.com advertisement; LEGO Club Magazine advertisement/subscription.
 * Rear cover: Advertisement for BIONICLE-based pens, BIONICLE: Quest for Makuta board game, and future products.

Continuity

 * This issue marks the first full appearance of the Bohrok-Kal, an elite team of Bohrok with unique powers.
 * Consequently, this issue marks the first appearance of powers such as lightning, magnetism, plasma, gravity, and sonics, all of which would later be canonized as wielded by different types of Toa.
 * On page 14, Onua suggests that the Toa Nuva seek out Kanohi Nuva to strengthen themselves against the Bohrok-Kal. The quest for these enhanced masks is explored more in BIONICLE Chronicles 4: Tales of the Masks.

Errors

 * The Bohrok-Kal and their various members are consistently referred to without the use of a hyphen in their names. For example: "Tahnok Kal" instead of "Tahnok-Kal."

Trivia

 * Comic illustrator Ray Kryssing's first name was unknown by the fandom until the release of the Papercutz graphic novel collection BIONICLE 2: Challenge of the Rahkshi in 2008.
 * This comic was released in a smaller-sized edition, as were Comic 4: The Bohrok Awake and Comic 12: Absolute Power.