The Toa- A Bionicle Retelling by NickonAquaMagna

huh? turaga vakama saying “we are the matoran”? does this mean that in your interpretation of g1 the toa turn into elder matoran when they are done with their task? or am I just looking too deep into this

He’s just trying to keep things simple for Tahu (and I’m trying to keep things simple for new readers). I’ll have it mentioned later that “Turaga” is the proper title for the elders, but even the characters brush it off as more unnecessary jargon. I might even have it implied that most of the characters’ names are from “Old Matoran” and the current language they’re using is mostly new, hence why some of it sounds like english to us but they don’t just call each other things like “Burn”, “Claw”, “Kick” and so on.

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so… I was indeed looking too deep into it

Vakama be at Makuta like: “BEGONE. THOT!”

I’m sure things can only get better for our heroes from here.

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I can’t decide whether it’s going to be Lewa because it’s always Lewa, or not be Lewa because it’s always Lewa.

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Plot Twist: Its gonna be Takanuva.

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Minow spoiler- It’ll ALMOST be Lewa, but it will end up being someone else. You’ll see.

this is heresy!

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Kopaka, cause super edge lord is a loner anyway. But this time Pohatu saves Kopaka instead of Onua saving Lewa.

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This is… probably pretty plain for a cover. I wanted something minimalist and clean, but I might whip up a “proper” cover and rework this as a back cover sometime.

I was a little cautious about putting my name at the bottom since it sounds like I’m claiming these things are mine. No I am not, this is a simple non profit fan comic. A tribute to something that hugely influenced my sensibilities growing up and inspired me to become the writer I am today. I owe a lot to this silly toy line. Will upload page 19 tomorrow.

Not sure what kind of “theme” music a project like this should have. While I love most of the music in the old Bionicle movies, the “epic” orchestral themes just doesn’t seem as fitting for something like Bionicle to me as they would for more traditional fantasy like LoTR. Sure, the more somber tracks fit well in the 2nd and 3rd movies, which are all about a fantastical culture dying overnight, but for those early days on the island…

Maybe something more like the music you’d hear in a Metroid game? Come on, just listen to this or “Tallon Overworld 2” and tell me that doesn’t sound like living, singing machines in a wild natural setting with temples an’ stuff.

Next page

And now, a debate about what the three virtues mean.

Yes, this is actually happening.

I’d really appreciate some new feedback, guys. I keep having to edit the same one post to be longer and longer to avoid double-posting.

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Don’t worry. If you’re double-posting to post more comic pages, then it’s okay. Double-posts are allowed if you just need to update or add content.

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Oh, okay. Thanks. I do still hope this catches on with the community, though. I dunno if there just isn’t any desire left in people for a modern retelling of the old story to discuss or what.

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Well, there are at least a few people who are enjoying it, myself included. Your work always impresses, and I like how you’re going for, effectively, a “really soft reboot” here, with altered concepts but the same core story. Your coloring also really shines here. It’s very vibrant.

Don’t feel pressured if it seems like people aren’t reading. You’ve got a lot of great stuff to share, so some things are bound to take off more than others. For what it’s worth, though, I’ll be watching this!

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Yeah, don’t stop now!

Sorry for not commenting before now, but I have been following along since this started up and I think it’s great so far. I’ve also started reading through your Nova Orbis series… Very good, man, very good.

I’ll do my best to comment a bit more.

Anyway, as for my thoughts so far, I think this series is great! I like how (as @Toa_Heatwave mentioned) the core points are maintained but more realistic and interesting variation is included (Tahu’s canister crashing into the island instead of gently washing to shore, his confusion on awakening and the influence of Makuta, etc.). Really great stuff.

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In the interest of full disclosure, I meant to swing by to toss out a few compliments and critiques much earlier; however, I’ve been especially busy. :stuck_out_tongue:

So, the art here never ceases to stop me in my tracks, man. You truly are a phenomenal director when it comes to plotting out length stories; the pacing, graphical structure. and dialogue flow super well. It’s pretty clear that you have this all planned out in advance.

My initial assumption was that this story would be a little more focused on the internal thoughts and desires of the Toa; however, I’m honestly glad to see that this is not the case; I mean, I’m happily surprised to see that it isn’t the only perspective. Telling the story from the angle of the Matoran is a welcome change, and I don’t just mean Takua; he gets plenty of spotlight, while the Turaga typically get shafted. That isn’t where you’re going here; it doesn’t seem to be the story that you’re weaving.

That said, it would be fantastic to see more of the environmentally diverse island. Nothing is plain on the island in the MNOG and the flash animations; even if you’re sticking in Ta-Wahi for a little while (which condenses the plot down, making the story a little smoother for newcomers), there are always plenty of opportunities to show us the island. Working on this sort of serialized novel takes a tonh of time, but it would be fantastic if you could throw in a vista or two to remind us that we’re not in Metru Nui any longer. Breaking out of the 2001 mold is tough; nice work.

-Azani

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Thank you everyone. I’ll have more to say tomorrow, but I’ve gotta turn in for the night. New page tomorrow, too.

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Tried doing a few things differently with this page. It was cathartic after those last coupla’ pages drained me.

Anyway,glad people are enjoying the twists so far. There’s going to be a LOT more of those. It may feel like the same ol’ story now, but s we draw near the end of this “What if you only had one year you tell the story?” take on things, it may end up feeling like a completely different world. That’s pretty exciting for me. Can’t wait to see how people respond to the coming divergence.

And don’t worry, we’ll see more of the rest of the island and the koros along the way.

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I really like your Takua.

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I love how much the sky adds to these scenes. So glad I took those pictures when I did. Even if the quality isn’t great, gumming them up to look appropriately cartoony for this isn’t too hard.

Enough with the exposition dumping, time to see some Rahi fighting in the present!

Is what I’m sure some are thinking after these five pages of non-stop talking… don’t worry, we’re not far off from that.

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