Comic 16: Toa Metru!

"The six of us traveled to the Great Temple in Ga-Metru in answer to a mysterious summons. We went there as Matoran... We came out as far, far more."

- Turaga Vakama

Toa Metru! was the sixteenth issue of the original BIONICLE comic series, the first issue of the Metru Nui sub-series, and part one of the City of Legends storyline. It was originally mailed with the January/February 2004 edition of the LEGO Club Magazine and was later collected in BIONICLE 3: City of Legends. This comic saw the beginning of a lengthy series of flashbacks exploring the Turaga's past as Toa Metru.

Opening
As the Toa Nuva and Matoran prepare to depart the island of Mata Nui for all time, the turn to Turaga Vakama for tales of the new land to which they will travel: Metru Nui.

''In the time before time, Metru Nui was a city of legends. Under the guidance of Turaga Dume, and protected by the order enforcement squads call Vahki, the island city was a place of learning and contentment. The Matoran who lived there believed that nothing would ever change ... that no shadow would ever threaten their peaceful existence ... and that no new legends could be born.''

They were very, very wrong.

Plot
Turaga Vakama has just revealed the shocking truth to the Toa Nuva: they were not the first Toa! Long before, in the city of Metru Nui, the Turaga were originally Matoran. However, they were summoned to the Great Temple, where they were transformed into Toa Metru! The newly-minted Toa of Fire Vakama is struck by a terrifying vision, though: Metru Nui will fall--and only the six Great Disks can save it! Onewa doubts Vakama, but the Toa Metru of Fire is insistent: the city has been under attack from giant vines for several months; nothing else has been able to stop its advance. In his vision, Vakama saw six Matoran, each in danger, and each knowing where a Great Disk is located: Tehutti the archivist, Ehrye the messenger, Vhisola the student, Nuhrii the crafter, Ahkmou the carver, and Orkahm the driver. The Toa split up, but their search-and-rescue mission is not as easy as it seems. Vakama is forced to save a Ta-Matoran from molten protodermis, and just barely manages to drive off attacking Morbuzakh vines. The Matoran reveals that a four-legged creature sabotaged the controls in the furnace. Elsewhere, each of the other Toa Metru are encountering difficulties in their attempts to locate and save the Matoran. Vakama finally finds Nuhrii, buried in rubble. No sooner is the Mask Maker safe than another Morbuzakh vine coils around the Toa of Fire. Only quick action by Nuhrii is able to save Vakama, by attacking the plant with an enlarge Kanoka disk. Toa and Matoran return to the Great Temple to meet up with the others. Nokama is suspicious, believing one of the Matoran to be a traitor. Onewa is suspicious as well, but of Vakama's so-called visions. Vakama is unsure of the traitor's identity, but he is confident that there is more going on than first appears...and he is right, as elsewhere the King Root of the Morbuzakh plots to overrun all of Metru Nui!

Credits

 * Greg Farshtey - Writer
 * Randy Elliott - Penciller
 * Elliot/Kryssing - Inkers
 * Ken Lopez - Letterer
 * Pete Pantazis - Colorist
 * Jaye Gardner - Editor
 * Toby Dutkiewicz - Layout & Design

Characters

 * Ahkmou - In flashback
 * Dume - Mentioned only; first mentioned
 * Ehrye - In flashback; first appearance
 * Gali Nuva - In present
 * Matau - In flashback; first appearance as Toa
 * Morbuzahk - In flashback; first appearance
 * Morbuzahk King Root - In flashback; first appearance
 * Nidhiki - In flashback; indirectly mentioned only
 * Nokama - In flashback; first appearance as Toa
 * Nuhrii - In flashback
 * Nuju - In flashback; first appearance as Toa
 * Onewa - In flashback; first appearance as Toa
 * Orkahm - In flashback; first appearance
 * Pohatu Nuva - In present
 * Rahkshi of Heat Vision - In flashback; first appearance
 * Rahkshi of Insect Control - In flashback; first appearance
 * Rahkshi of Weather Control - In flashback; first appearance
 * Tahu Nuva - In present
 * Tehutti - In flashback; first appearance
 * Vakama - In present and flashback; first appearance as Toa
 * Vhisola - In flashback; first appearance
 * Whenua - In flashback; first appearance as Toa
 * A Ta-Matoran - In flashback

Locations

 * Mata Nui
 * Metru Nui
 * Ga-Metru - In flashback; first appearance
 * Great Temple - In flashback; first appearance
 * Ko-Metru - In flashback; first appearance
 * Knowledge Towers - In flashback; first appearance
 * Tower of Thought - In flashback; first appearance
 * Le-Metru - In flashback; first appearance
 * Onu-Metru - In flashback; first appearance
 * Archives - In flashback; first appearance
 * Po-Metru - In flashback; first appearance
 * Sculpture Fields - In flashback; first appearance
 * Ta-Metru - In flashback; first appearance
 * Great Furnace - In flashback; first appearance
 * Protodermis Reclamation Yard - In flashback; first appearance

Objects

 * Badge of Office
 * Firestaff
 * Chute System - First appearance; in flashback
 * Chute - First appearance; in flashback
 * Disk Launcher - First appearance; in flashback
 * Kanohi
 * Great Huna - First appearance; in flashback
 * Great Komau - First appearance; in flashback
 * Great Mahiki - First appearance; in flashback
 * Great Matatu - First appearance; in flashback
 * Great Rau - First appearance; in flashback
 * Great Ruru - First appearance; in flashback
 * Noble Huna - In present
 * Powerless Huna
 * Powerless Komau
 * Powerless Mahiki
 * Powerless Matatu
 * Powerless Rau
 * Powerless Ruru
 * Kanohi Nuva
 * Hau Nuva - In present
 * Kakama Nuva - In present
 * Kaukau Nuva - In present
 * Kanoka - In flashback; first appearance
 * Enlarge Disk - In flashback; first appearance
 * Great Disks - First mentioned
 * Toa Disk - Cover only; first appearance
 * Toa Stones - First mentioned
 * Toa Tools
 * Aero Slicers - First appearance; in flashback
 * Crystal Spikes - First appearance; in flashback
 * Earthshock Drills - First appearance; in flashback
 * Hydro Blades - First appearance; in flashback
 * Proto Pitons - First appearance; in flashback
 * Disk Launcher (Vakama) - First appearance; in flashback

Organizations

 * Matoran - In flashback
 * Ga-Matoran - In flashback
 * Ko-Matoran - In flashback
 * Le-Matoran - In flashback
 * Onu-Matoran - In flashback
 * Po-Matoran - In flashback
 * Ta-Matoran - In flashback
 * Rahkshi - In flashback
 * Toa - In present and flashback
 * Toa of Air - In flashback
 * Toa of Earth - In flashback
 * Toa of Fire - In present and flashback
 * Toa of Ice - In flashback
 * Toa of Stone - In present and flashback
 * Toa of Water - In present and flashback
 * Toa Teams
 * Toa Mata/Toa Nuva - In present
 * Toa Metru - In flashback; first appearance
 * Turaga - In present
 * Vahki - In flashback; first mentioned

Miscellanea

 * Chutespeak
 * Elements/Elemental Powers
 * Air
 * Earth
 * Fire
 * Ice
 * Stone
 * Water
 * Molten Protodermis

Quotes
"Here, thousands of Matoran worked and played and lived their lives... and we were among them. None of [us] could have predicted how soon things would change... or all the great and terrible things that change would soon bring."

- Turaga Vakama

"In my vision I had seen six Matoran, each of whom know the secret of where a Great Disk could be found. Each was in dire danger... and one of them planned to betray all of Metru Nui. But which one?"

- Turaga Vakama

"Othersss have hurt usssssss...ssstruck at ussssss...but they cannot ssstop usssssss! We will ssslip through the cracksss and then vanish like ghostssss. The Matoran will be drive to the center of the city, as we have been commanded. Then Metru Nui will belong to the Morbuzakh!"

- The Morbuzakh King Root

Extra Features

 * Comic middle: Discover the Legends of Metru Nui! section discusses set 8601 Toa Vakama, 8602 Toa Nokama, 8604 Toa Onewa, 8603 Toa Whenua, 8605 Toa Matau, and 8606 Toa Nuju.
 * Comic end: Advertisement for relaunch of BIONICLE.com; advertisement for the "BIONICLE Instant Win Game;" Kanoka Research and Information section allowing readers to keep track of their Kanoka collection; Secrets of the Kanoka Disks section explains the codes on Kanoka disks.
 * Rear comic: Advertisement for BIONICLE books from Scholastic.

Continuity

 * This comic begins a series of two-year-long flashbacks to the Toa Metru's adventures, explaining the origins of the Turaga, how the Matoran came to live on Mata Nui, how Makuta came to betray Mata Nui, and how the Kanohi Vahi was created.
 * This issue takes place concurrently with and is a partial adaptation of BIONICLE Adventures 1: Mystery of Metru Nui.
 * The comic's opening narration mentions Turaga Dume for the first time, a character who will go on to play a major role in the second half of the year's storyline.
 * This issue introduces the new threat of the Morbuzakh, a gigantic plant-monster terrorizing the city of Metru Nui. Searching for a way to defeat the Morbuzakh would occupy the first half of 2004's story.

Errors

 * On page 8, Vakama and the Ta-Matoran's dialogue bubbles are switched around in one panel.

Trivia

 * On the first page where the opening narration brings the reader up to speed, Nuju's Toa Disk can seen at the top of the page. Over the course of the 2004 storyline, each of the Toa Metru's Toa Disk would appear in this spot.