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Bionicle Graphic Novels #1
Bionicle, Vol. 1: Rise of the Toa Nuva
Six mighty heroes – the Toa – arrive on a tropical island to find a land under siege. The Great Spirit Mata Nui has been cast into an unending sleep by the evil Makuta. Now Makuta is attacking the island's Matoran villagers with vicious Rahi beasts. The Toa must combine their skills and elemental and mask powers to defeat Makuta and restore peace to the island.
In the second story, The Toa return to the island named for Mata Nui to find it is being overrun by mechanical insects called Bohrok. These Bohrok have been unleashed by Makuta and are rapidly destroying trees, mountains, rivers, villages and anything else in their path. After a long, difficult battle, the Toa are able to defeat the queens of the swarms and end the Bohrok threat … for now. During the fight, the heroes are transformed into Toa Nuva, with new armor, new weapons, and new Masks of Power.
In the second story, The Toa return to the island named for Mata Nui to find it is being overrun by mechanical insects called Bohrok. These Bohrok have been unleashed by Makuta and are rapidly destroying trees, mountains, rivers, villages and anything else in their path. After a long, difficult battle, the Toa are able to defeat the queens of the swarms and end the Bohrok threat … for now. During the fight, the heroes are transformed into Toa Nuva, with new armor, new weapons, and new Masks of Power.
112 pages, Paperback
First published June 10, 2008
5 people are currently reading
110 people want to read
About the author
Greg Farshtey
243 books88 followersGreg Farshtey is the author of the popular BIONICLE chapter books and Level 3 readers, as well as the long-running BIONICLE comic book series. His day job is Editor-in-Chief and head writer for the LEGO Club Magazine and the LEGO BrickMaster Magazine.
Greg has been writing since fourth grade. After earning a degree in Communications from the State University of New York at Geneseo, he worked as a reporter, sports editor, game designer and editor, and copywriter before joining LEGO Company in 2000. Before becoming involved with BIONICLE, he wrote game material for such diverse properties as Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Tales From the Crypt.
Greg is the author of more than 30 novels and guidebooks, as well as the author or co-author of more than 35 game sourcebooks and adventures.
He lives in West Hartford, Connecticut.
For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Far...
Greg has been writing since fourth grade. After earning a degree in Communications from the State University of New York at Geneseo, he worked as a reporter, sports editor, game designer and editor, and copywriter before joining LEGO Company in 2000. Before becoming involved with BIONICLE, he wrote game material for such diverse properties as Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Tales From the Crypt.
Greg is the author of more than 30 novels and guidebooks, as well as the author or co-author of more than 35 game sourcebooks and adventures.
He lives in West Hartford, Connecticut.
For more information, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Far...
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
January 30, 2018
For me, someone who grew up with the classic Bionicle sets and stories and who had at least one of the comic books in this book during that time, this was fun to read and reminisce with. I enjoy the story, although it skips a lot because originally these were just fun little background stories to explain the toys. Also, a lot of the story this book covers is told in more depth in other books (not graphic novels).
So for someone like me, this book is a lot of fun. For someone just starting out on the story, they may want to not read only this book on its own.
So for someone like me, this book is a lot of fun. For someone just starting out on the story, they may want to not read only this book on its own.
November 21, 2011
It has a lot of aktion in it.They go thoo a lot of trobles in the book.Ther are six of them.
February 22, 2023
The Holy Grail of all fiction
While the story is fast paced and action-packed; the lore reaches complexities of character that are hard to be found in the wild.
But what shines best is the art-style, while keeping the original Lego figures without modifying them, it brings them to life, gives them emotion which wouldn't otherwise be possible. Too bad I'm too old to enjoy the entirety of the experience of playing with Lego again 😞.
enjoyable
While the story is fast paced and action-packed; the lore reaches complexities of character that are hard to be found in the wild.
But what shines best is the art-style, while keeping the original Lego figures without modifying them, it brings them to life, gives them emotion which wouldn't otherwise be possible. Too bad I'm too old to enjoy the entirety of the experience of playing with Lego again 😞.
enjoyable
September 19, 2023
This is a 5/5 experience for me personally due to nostalgia, but I'm giving it 4/5 here because there are definitely some flaws.
I was the target audience back when these comics were first released. I was a Lego fan club member, getting the Lego Club Magazine every month in the mail. The Bionicle comics came for free along with the magazine, and it was always the highlight of my month getting to open it up and read the new adventures. I still have the original comics in a longbox in my closet. My friends and I used to get together to play with our Bionicle figures, watch the Mask of Light movie, and one friend even had the Quest For Makuta board game. Bionicle was an obsession, so I can hardly describe how much nostalgia I have for this series. Re-reading these old comics is an absolute treat and takes me back to my childhood in a major way.
The pacing can be absolutely atrocious. I believe this is in part because the comics are fairly short, and because there are six main characters who all share the spotlight so there isn't much time for each story when they're not together. The first few issues follow the six Toa as they separately explore the island of Mata Nui, so you end up with a lot of jumping around between scenes, and there are many times where a threat is introduced, it almost defeats a hero, then the Toa succeeds against all odds all in the span of a few panels on just a page or two. As a kid I loved this, since it felt really quick and full of non-stop action. Now as an adult, I realize this basically removes all tension. When the Toa are in danger, you know they're just a panel or two away from victory, either by their own power or by another Toa swooping in to save the day.
This is exacerbated by the fact that sometimes it's hard to even tell what's going on, because entire battles are limited to a couple panels, making it difficult to see what's happening. I understand this is a limitation the authors/artists had to work within, probably imposed by higher-ups at the Lego company (I assume printing comics isn't cheap so they probably were restricted to a certain page count per issue, and they had to progress the story quickly enough for toy launches) and they did the best they could. It's amazing how high-quality art and writing we got in these comics which were just given to us for free. Of course I understand from the Lego company's point of view these comics were advertising, and it definitely worked on me and my friends, but these comics could have been way worse if they weren't written by someone who really cared about the stories they wanted to tell.
Did you know you can access all the Bionicle comics online for free? I find that incredible. It's awesome having these as a PDF on my iPad so I don't have to drag out the big box and risk damaging my physical collection when I want to read them.
I've mostly complained about the pacing issues, but these comics have a really fun and deep story, especially in later issues. The lore of Bionicle is complex and interesting, way better than a simple toy advertisement had any right to be. Because yes, at the end of the day these comics existed to sell Legos to children. But they also captured those children's imaginations in a big way, and I honestly think Bionicle had a massive impact on my love for fantasy/sci-fi stories, specifically ones that combine elements of both genres like Bionicle does.
I was the target audience back when these comics were first released. I was a Lego fan club member, getting the Lego Club Magazine every month in the mail. The Bionicle comics came for free along with the magazine, and it was always the highlight of my month getting to open it up and read the new adventures. I still have the original comics in a longbox in my closet. My friends and I used to get together to play with our Bionicle figures, watch the Mask of Light movie, and one friend even had the Quest For Makuta board game. Bionicle was an obsession, so I can hardly describe how much nostalgia I have for this series. Re-reading these old comics is an absolute treat and takes me back to my childhood in a major way.
The pacing can be absolutely atrocious. I believe this is in part because the comics are fairly short, and because there are six main characters who all share the spotlight so there isn't much time for each story when they're not together. The first few issues follow the six Toa as they separately explore the island of Mata Nui, so you end up with a lot of jumping around between scenes, and there are many times where a threat is introduced, it almost defeats a hero, then the Toa succeeds against all odds all in the span of a few panels on just a page or two. As a kid I loved this, since it felt really quick and full of non-stop action. Now as an adult, I realize this basically removes all tension. When the Toa are in danger, you know they're just a panel or two away from victory, either by their own power or by another Toa swooping in to save the day.
This is exacerbated by the fact that sometimes it's hard to even tell what's going on, because entire battles are limited to a couple panels, making it difficult to see what's happening. I understand this is a limitation the authors/artists had to work within, probably imposed by higher-ups at the Lego company (I assume printing comics isn't cheap so they probably were restricted to a certain page count per issue, and they had to progress the story quickly enough for toy launches) and they did the best they could. It's amazing how high-quality art and writing we got in these comics which were just given to us for free. Of course I understand from the Lego company's point of view these comics were advertising, and it definitely worked on me and my friends, but these comics could have been way worse if they weren't written by someone who really cared about the stories they wanted to tell.
Did you know you can access all the Bionicle comics online for free? I find that incredible. It's awesome having these as a PDF on my iPad so I don't have to drag out the big box and risk damaging my physical collection when I want to read them.
I've mostly complained about the pacing issues, but these comics have a really fun and deep story, especially in later issues. The lore of Bionicle is complex and interesting, way better than a simple toy advertisement had any right to be. Because yes, at the end of the day these comics existed to sell Legos to children. But they also captured those children's imaginations in a big way, and I honestly think Bionicle had a massive impact on my love for fantasy/sci-fi stories, specifically ones that combine elements of both genres like Bionicle does.
February 9, 2026
I grew up loving the later years of Bionicle’s original run (2006-2010), including the comics. Despite that, I’d never really gotten much into the earlier years’ story outside the Mask of Light movie. So, I’ve decided to go through all these comics, and with this first volume I found myself enjoying it.
The best thing about this graphic novel by far is the art. I have to give huge credit to the artists that worked on this—it’s not only absolutely gorgeous, but also did a great job of establishing the aesthetic and tone of Bionicle right from the beginning. I’d heard good things about the art in these early comics for years, but I was blown away by it. The plot is simple but well done, with two separate arcs. The first follows the six Toa heroes as they arrive at the island of Mata Nui, meeting one another and searching for the Masks of Power; the second follows them fighting against the Bohrok swarms that are overtaking the island. Both of these storylines are really simple but they work nicely to establish the characters, setting, and tone. The characters aren’t given a huge amount of depth and development given the book’s short length, but some of them do have unique traits that set them apart from each other nicely. I think this also does a good job of establishing the world of Bionicle, and while it likely works best as a supplement accompanied by other media, it does it well here.
The only downsides to this for me are that the plot and characters are just simple, but since this is such a short volume and is introducing everything, I guess that’s to be expected—plus, neither are bad at all. I’m just hoping later volumes go a bit more into these elements.
Overall a solid first entry. I’ll be looking forward to checking out the next one.
Rating: 8/10
The best thing about this graphic novel by far is the art. I have to give huge credit to the artists that worked on this—it’s not only absolutely gorgeous, but also did a great job of establishing the aesthetic and tone of Bionicle right from the beginning. I’d heard good things about the art in these early comics for years, but I was blown away by it. The plot is simple but well done, with two separate arcs. The first follows the six Toa heroes as they arrive at the island of Mata Nui, meeting one another and searching for the Masks of Power; the second follows them fighting against the Bohrok swarms that are overtaking the island. Both of these storylines are really simple but they work nicely to establish the characters, setting, and tone. The characters aren’t given a huge amount of depth and development given the book’s short length, but some of them do have unique traits that set them apart from each other nicely. I think this also does a good job of establishing the world of Bionicle, and while it likely works best as a supplement accompanied by other media, it does it well here.
The only downsides to this for me are that the plot and characters are just simple, but since this is such a short volume and is introducing everything, I guess that’s to be expected—plus, neither are bad at all. I’m just hoping later volumes go a bit more into these elements.
Overall a solid first entry. I’ll be looking forward to checking out the next one.
Rating: 8/10
November 9, 2025
Awesome, intricately detailed art. If I was basing my rating on that alone, it would be 5 stars.
The action is really cool, when you can tell what’s happening.
Half of the dialogue and narration boxes are focused on dropping names and half-baked lore. It’s a lot to take in at once, and I don’t think much will be remembered. But hey, the characters/species are color coded based on their elements, so forgetting what everything is officially called doesn’t matter that much.
Unfortunately, it feels like the volume is missing half of its pages. Everything plotwise jumps ahead oddly – there are a ton of gaps in the story.
But I recognize that the writing is not the main point in Bionicles. The point is to create a baseline for kids to start their play with.
The action is really cool, when you can tell what’s happening.
Half of the dialogue and narration boxes are focused on dropping names and half-baked lore. It’s a lot to take in at once, and I don’t think much will be remembered. But hey, the characters/species are color coded based on their elements, so forgetting what everything is officially called doesn’t matter that much.
Unfortunately, it feels like the volume is missing half of its pages. Everything plotwise jumps ahead oddly – there are a ton of gaps in the story.
But I recognize that the writing is not the main point in Bionicles. The point is to create a baseline for kids to start their play with.
April 12, 2022
Clearly, this was a product placement book (for Lego Bionicles) and I bought these because my son poured over them, was glued to them, at the time. And I was desperate to get him reading. Anything. I didn't care for the story; I couldn't really make heads or tails of it, but I believed it's okay to slide whatever works under their noses, if they're motivated to read it. We bought all 9.
August 24, 2020
Super nostalgic, I loved these comics growing up and the art and writing hold up all these years later!
January 17, 2021
I didn't know there was a canonical switch from the original designs to the nuva designs, that was fun to see. This was fun if you're a fan but the art is very ambiguous most of the time.
January 18, 2024
shit just kept happening off-screen bro
January 31, 2025
Hell yeah
November 1, 2021
A fascinating graphic novel, this visual novel was truly a powerful standalone piece of literature, and a amazing beginning to a magical fantastic world that is : Bionicles. If you dump this book with 10,000 of the most famous stories made by humankind, and it'll shine like a freshly cleaned diamond in a pile of dirt. It is simply so unique and interesting - it can rival any science fiction story that has Adam Sandler as the main character, like the movie Click, but the different is that there are NOOOO negatives. Only good writing, amazing art, and a lovely story. I recommend this book to anyone who is willing to become a better version of themself.
May 2, 2011
The LEGO Bionicle theme came out back in 2001, a decade ago. One of the first ways many kids (myself included) experienced it was a comic in the LEGO Magazine. This and the comics to follow helped tell the tale of Bionicle. It was the first time LEGO had ever done anything like this, and it was absolutely enrapturing. A couple years back, they started re-releasing the comics in graphic novel form, and I recently picked up the first volume (containing the first eight comics) in a fit of nostalgia.
To be clear, the whole goal of these comics was to promote a toy line, and in that regard I think it succeeded amazingly well. I know I was pulled into the universe. Even looking back, the setting of the island, with many different environments from jungles to deserts, captured the imagination. The Toa, six heroes who washed up on the shore to save the villagers in their greatest time of need were as much detectives as warriors - trying to unravel the mysteries of the island as they battled the forces of the evil Makuta.
The writing is generally simple, which is expected for a kid's comic. Sometimes it can be a bit corny too. But even now, ten years later, I fell right back into that world, watching as the heroes uncover their destinies.
The art certainly helped a lot in descending into the mythos. The characters have some issues, in that their proportions change from time to time and the gain and lose certain details. The environments, however, are lush and vivid, and really set the stage. I knew what the characters looked like, I had bought all the sets, but the art in the comics helped you visualize the stories at a much deeper level.
If you grew up playing with Bionicle and want to relive some of those childhood memories, this is a nice way to do so. Of course if you're still a Bionicle fan, I highly recommend you add this to your collection as well.
To be clear, the whole goal of these comics was to promote a toy line, and in that regard I think it succeeded amazingly well. I know I was pulled into the universe. Even looking back, the setting of the island, with many different environments from jungles to deserts, captured the imagination. The Toa, six heroes who washed up on the shore to save the villagers in their greatest time of need were as much detectives as warriors - trying to unravel the mysteries of the island as they battled the forces of the evil Makuta.
The writing is generally simple, which is expected for a kid's comic. Sometimes it can be a bit corny too. But even now, ten years later, I fell right back into that world, watching as the heroes uncover their destinies.
The art certainly helped a lot in descending into the mythos. The characters have some issues, in that their proportions change from time to time and the gain and lose certain details. The environments, however, are lush and vivid, and really set the stage. I knew what the characters looked like, I had bought all the sets, but the art in the comics helped you visualize the stories at a much deeper level.
If you grew up playing with Bionicle and want to relive some of those childhood memories, this is a nice way to do so. Of course if you're still a Bionicle fan, I highly recommend you add this to your collection as well.
November 20, 2012
A friend of mine named Daniel, one of the most eccentric intellectuals I know, recently brought my attention back to the universes of Pokémon and Bionicle, and I've realized how much unintentional depth there was in these silly franchises and how much they've influenced who I am artistically today. I subscribed to the Bionicle series way back in my halcyon days, and I'm sure the issues are long since moldering in a box in the garage if they weren't sold at a yard sale over the years. Looking back, I'm quite impressed with Farshtey's concepts even though the actual stories are hopeless nonsense, and Carlos D'Anda's gorgeous art. This was a strange, strange world that Lego created, a world of symbolism, meditativeness, and an aesthetic way beyond the ken of my eight-year-old self. I mean, what the hell were these things? Were they purely robotic, did they have hearts beating in those angular chests? Nothing was ever properly explained, and that was what fascinated me so. The fact that none of this depth was intentional, but only there to sell more toys (which I was aware of even then) makes it all the stranger.
July 14, 2024
Was happy and surprised to find that these were collected into graphic novel form. I really enjoy the art from these comics and it's fun to look back on all of the Bionicle toys I grew up with. It's strange and a little annoying how after the first three issues, the cover of each issue is cropped, which cuts out the outer edges of the covers. Also, during the middle of the fifth issue, their is a misprint where the cover of the next issue is double-printed prematurely, omitting a page from that issue.
March 20, 2011
The dialogue was miniscule and very "poorly dubbed" 1950 movie style 2 word comments. The pictures were hard to follow, but eventually I figured out the main "Bionicle" robot characters join forces to save their world and become the Toa Nuva. It takes concentration to follow this plot.
March 31, 2021
My childhood book, but the fact that every chapter has to start with the same “this could be their last day to live” type set up was so obnoxious. Really like the Rian Johnson Exo-Toa twist though where they end up not needing them; really suverted by dippidy dappidy expectations
July 14, 2008
I like the illustrator's talents; he draws very well. The story was very interesting, even though I like to read about the Piraka. I think I will get some more of these. When they come out that is.
October 18, 2010
i think bionicle is very good book because of the action
December 4, 2013
I love the artwork for these. So crisp and bright.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews