Comic 11: A Matter of Time...

"No, Toa. They are waiting beneath the ground...waiting to be freed...and you are powerless to stop us."

- Tahnok-Kal's Krana-Kal

A Matter of Time... was the eleventh issue in the original BIONICLE comic series, and continued the Bohrok-Kal storyline. It was originally mailed together with the March/April 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. This comic saw the Bohrok-Kal prepare to free the Bahrag and unleash the Bohrok again.

Opening
''Having lost their elemental powers, the Toa Nuva now face their most desperate hour. The powerful and dangerous Bohrok-Kal roam Mata Nui at will, searching for the imprisoned Bahrag queens. If they succeed in freeing the Bahrag, the Bohrok swarms will overrun the island once more!''

''In Mata Nui's darkest moments, the Toa Nuva will take any risk to save their home and their people. Before the struggle is through, the heroes of Mata Nui will have to unleash the energies of a Mask of Power that even the Turaga fear!''

Plot
Tahu Nuva leads an army of Tahnok against Nuhvok-Kal. The elite Bohrok merely sneers and uses its Gravity powers to make the swarm fly away. The Kal then taunts the Toa Nuva and increases the gravity around him, trapping Tahu on the ground. Meanwhile, Gali, Lewa, and Kopaka have merged to form Wairuha Nuva and attempt to attack three Bohrok-Kal. Unfortunately, the Kal are also able to create their own Kaita form. Elsewhere, Pohatu and Onua conspire to trap and disable Tahnok-Kal. Onua confronts the Kal, mocking its appearance and power. When the Bohrok-Kal attacks, Pohatu kicks a polished rock into the way, reflecting Tahnok-Kal's Lightning bolts into a tree and bringing it down upon the enhanced Bohrok. After they celebrate, however, they discover an unexpected surprise. The captured Krana-Kal is able to speak to them, taunting their weaknesses and revealing that the Bohrok-Kal have already discovered the Bahrag's hidden location. The Toa Nuva return to the Bohrok Nest, following the Bohrok-Kal. Retracing their steps, the team arrives at the chamber where they fought the Bahrag. Lewa scouts ahead. Much to his surprise, the six suits of Exo-Toa armor are engaged in combat with the Bohrok-Kal. Despite their efforts, the Exo-Toa are completely destroyed by the Kal's powers. Victorious, the elite Bohrok approach the Nuva Cube with the stolen Nuva Symbols in hand. In desperation, Tahu finally calls upon an incredibly powerful and dangerous Kanohi: the Mask of Time!

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

 * Bohrok-Kal Kaita Ja - First appearance
 * Cahdok - Mentioned only
 * Gahdok - Mentioned only
 * Gahlok-Kal
 * Gali Nuva
 * Kopaka Nuva
 * Kohrak-Kal
 * Lehvak
 * Lehvak-Kal
 * Lewa Nuva
 * Nokama
 * Nuhvok-Kal
 * Onua Nuva
 * Pahrak-Kal
 * Pohatu Nuva
 * Tahnok
 * Tahnok-Kal
 * Tahu Nuva
 * Wairuha Nuva - First appearance

Locations

 * Mata Nui
 * Bohrok Nests
 * Koro - Mentioned only

Objects

 * Badge of Office
 * Trident
 * Bohrok Shields
 * Acid Shields
 * Fire Shields
 * Bohrok-Kal Shields
 * Electricity Shields
 * Gravity Shields
 * Magnetism Shields
 * Plasma Shields
 * Sonics Shields
 * Vacuum Shields
 * Boxors - Mentioned only
 * Exo-Toa
 * Kanohi
 * Legendary Vahi - First appearance
 * Noble Rau
 * Kanohi Nuva
 * Akaku Nuva
 * Hau Nuva
 * Kakama Nuva
 * Kaukau Nuva
 * Miru Nuva
 * Pakari Nuva
 * Rua Nuva - First appearance
 * Krana-Kal - First appearance
 * Za-Kal - First appearance
 * Nuva Cube - First appearance
 * Nuva Symbols
 * Toa Tools
 * Air Katana
 * Aqua Axes
 * Climbing Claws
 * Feet Additions
 * Ice Blade
 * Ice Shield
 * Magma Swords
 * Mizuni Rotors
 * Quake Breakers

Organizations

 * Bohrok Swarms
 * The Bahrag - Mentioned only
 * Bohrok
 * Bohrok Va - Mentioned only
 * Bohrok-Kal
 * Bohrok-Kal Kaita - First appearance
 * Boxor Squad - Mentioned only
 * Matoran - Mentioned only
 * Rahi
 * Hoto Bugs - Mentioned only
 * Toa
 * Toa of Air
 * Toa of Earth
 * Toa of Fire
 * Toa of Ice
 * Toa of Stone
 * Toa of Water
 * Toa Nuva Kaita - First appearance
 * Toa Teams
 * Toa Mata/Toa Nuva
 * Turaga

Miscellanea

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

Quotes
"No...your eyes are not deceiving you. That is Tahu Nuva, Toa of Fire, leading a swarm of Bohrok. No...this is not an alternate timeline, a vision, a dream, or an imaginary tale told around Matoran fires. Yes...something is very, very wrong on the island of Mata Nui."

- Narration

"Again? You did not defeat the Toa Nuva--we simply found your company so boring, we chose to take a nap."

- Onua Nuva taunts Tahnok-Kal

"Our Boxors surprised a Bohrok-Kal long enough to steal his krana-kal...and we learned much. These are an elite squad of Bohrok, with only one mission: freeing the Bahrag. And I fear they have found what they seek -- for the Bohrok swarms have left the Koro and are returning to their nests, as if obeying a command."

- Turaga Nokama

"There is. Something I hoped I would never have to do...something that could mean the end of everything. I call upon--the Mask of Time!"

- Tahu Nuva

Extra Features

 * Comic middle: The Power of the Krana-Kal section discusses the krana-Kal and explains their enhanced powers.
 * Comic end: Advertisement for BIONICLE Mask of Light: The Movie; We Are the Bohrok Kal section discussing the Bohrok-Kal and their unique powers; New at BIONICLE.com section discusses future changes to the official website.
 * Rear cover: Shows a teaser for the summer Rahkshi sets.

Continuity

 * On page 1, underneath the opening recap introducing the comic, is one of the reader's first glimpses of the Kanohi Avohkii, a mask which would play a large role in the second half of 2003's storyline.
 * Turaga Nokama reappears in this issue, after being absent in the main comic series since Comic 2: Deep Into Darkness and the promotional comic Into the Nest.
 * The Exo-Toa return in this issue, after their last appearance in Comic 8: The End of the Toa? Here it is revealed that the armors are capable of running on autopilot, automatically protecting the Toa Seal which traps the Bahrag.
 * This issue marks not only the first comic appearance of the Kanohi Vahi, but also its first official appearance in any form of BIONICLE media. This mask would later play a large role in the flashback stories of the Toa Metru/Toa Hordika, such as 2004's BIONICLE 2: Legends of Metru Nui and 2005's BIONICLE Adventures 10: Time Trap.

Trivia

 * Comic illustrator Ray Kryssing's first name was unknown by the BIONICLE fandom until the release of the Papercutz graphic novel collection BIONICLE 2: Challenge of the Rahkshi in 2008.