Bionicle #1: Rise of the Toa Nuva (Bionicle Graphic Novels) [Paperback]

Greg Farshtey (Author), Carlos D'Anda (Illustrator), Richard Bennett (Illustrator), Randy Elliott (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Bionicle Graphic Novels

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.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3–6—A graphic novel series based on the LEGO® toy line. In this story, readers learn about the origins of the Toa and their race to save the island of Mata Nui. The evil Makuta has forced the island into a time of despair and evil; those who inhabit it have been waiting to be saved. Then the Toa arrive, ready to fight the villain. As readers progress through the story, they will experience epic battles, dangerous escapes, and treachery among the warriors' ranks. The Toa must capture all of the Masks of Power, and they definitely need to learn to work together as a team if the island is to be saved. The art is vivid and attention grabbing, and the story line, which weaves in Polynesian mythology, is exciting and action-packed. Kids who love Bionicle will definitely be interested in learning about the beginning of these characters. Although battles are fought throughout, the main action is made up of cartoon violence between the Toa and their nemeses. A great purchase for comics and graphic-novel collections.—Traci Glass, Eugene Public Library, OR
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

The arrival in graphic format of the Bionicle series, Lego’s massive saga of cyborgs who defend a tropical island from evil, is sure to be hailed by its fan base as the second coming, which wouldn’t be inappropriate given the book’s themes. With its mind-tangling twist of religio-mythical cosmology, painfully complex Maori-based names, and an array of characters with nearly indistinguishable personalities, no Bionicle installment is recommended for the uninitiated, and this is far from an exception. This mixture of furious action and dialogue is so ripe with portent that nonfans might actually be turned off from ever reading again, but the undeniable appeal for boys between the ages of 7 and 12 makes this a must-have for the libraries that serve them. Originally printed for the Bionicle Club, the book’s combination of specialized vocabulary and bursts of action makes for an irresistible invitation to that group of classically reluctant readers. Not that the readership will particularly care, but the small format hampers the exceptionally precise and vibrant art. Grades 3-6. --Jesse Karp --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Papercutz (June 10, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1597071099
• ISBN-13: 978-1597071093
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.1 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #159,805 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #1 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Series > Fantasy & Adventure > Bionicle
  • #73 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Comics & Graphic Novels > Manga > Science Fiction

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Finally! The collected Bionicle Tales., June 18, 2008

By 

Tim Lasiuta "Comic Fan 42" (Red Deer, Alberta) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bionicle #1: Rise of the Toa Nuva (Hardcover)

Who doesn't have a young teen boy these days that hasn't heard the words "Toa Nuva", "Bionicle", and "Masks" in the same sentence? On our bookshelves, guardian bionicles stand watch over slumbering children, waiting for the dreaded enemies of the Toa Nuva (probably new warriors in some lego language).

The toys are very cool. What was once Johnny West, Batman, or Spiderman is now full poseable, fully changeable, and the dynamics of the body structure are such that these 'toys' could even be our bodies in mechanical form! My eyes don't usually glow, and my hands are digitized, but movement wise, they are magical.

Just like this book, collecting the Lego magazine stories, there is a sense of completeness about the story now. Whenever I read the Lego installments, I always thought that it was time for a collection. Papercutz has a remarkable reputation for quality books printed on quality paper, and is a natural choice for such a property.

The team of Greg Farshtey, Carlos D'Anda, and Randy Elliot have created a world around the characters that is very cool. The setting is other worldly, but the battle for survival is no different than any humans have endured. This is no 'band of brothers', but it is a 'band of others'.

The arrival of Makuta on the Island of Mata Nui signaled the transformation of Nui into a place of evil. The Tohunga wait for salvation, and six arrive who control the forces of nature to help them find it. Collect the masks, and defeat the Makuta no matter what the cost.

The art and color in the books is amazing. D'Anda and Elliot have captured the feel of the characters beautifully. The challenge of illustrating any book with non humanoid features is to make them 'real' and the artists have done that very well. I can imagine their studio. Shelves filled with BIONICLES in various poses, giant boxes of LEGO waiting for construction. How do they ever get any work done?

Read in short installments, these stories made little sense. Now that Papercutz has collected the episodes, the story is clear, and even for adults who have had to learn new words in a new language, the story of the Bionicles has just become more interesting.

www.papercutz.com

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Binding Fell Apart, October 21, 2008

By 

Heidi Mahmud - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bionicle #1: Rise of the Toa Nuva (Bionicle Graphic Novels) (Paperback)

I bought this item for my son's birthday and after reading through it once, the glue on the binding fell apart and all of the pages fell out.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Okay content -- horrible binding, October 5, 2008

By 

Mama2Sammy "Mama2Sammy" (Union City, CA USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bionicle #1: Rise of the Toa Nuva (Bionicle Graphic Novels) (Paperback)

We ordered this and had to return it because it completely fell apart. Amazon exchanged it for us, but the new one fell apart as well. A friend had the exact same thing happen to her with the copies she bought at Borders. We won't be buying any more of this series for this reason.