BIONICLE COMES TO PAPERCUTZ
Publisher of Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Classics Illustrated, and Tales
from the Crypt presents LEGO characters’ origin

BIONICLE, one of the most popular game and action-figure lines for
boys, is coming to comic-book shops in May 2008 (and bookstores in
June) as a quarterly series of graphic novels from Papercutz. BIONICLE
#1 -- which features the origin story, “Rise of the Toa Nuva” -- is
written by Greg Farshtey, the main creator of BIONICLE’s world and
storyline.

In novels, video games, and of course the original LEGO toys, BIONICLE

tells the adventures of the Toa, six heroes who are part machine and
part living creatures. In BIONICLE #1, the series’ all-important
origin, the Toa arrive on the tropical island guarded by the Great
Spirit Mata Nui only to find it under siege. The powerful and evil
being Makuta has cast the Mata Nui into an unending sleep and is
attacking the island’s villagers, the Matoran. The armed and armored
Toa, who wear Masks of Power and can control the elements, leap into
the fight against Makuta. But Makuta has unleashed mechanical insects
called Bohrok to destroy everything in their path. During the fight,
the Toa transform into the Toa Nuva, with new armor, weapons, and Masks

of Power. But will all of that be enough to defeat Makuta?

The artists of Papercutz’s BIONICLE #1 are Carlos D’Anda (known for DC

Comics’ Outsiders), Aliens vs. Predator storyboard artist Richard
Bennett (Marvel’s X-Men), and Randy Elliott (Marvel’s Spider-Woman).
The series reprints stories created for LEGO’s BIONICLE club, which has

over a million members. The stories have not appeared in print for
several years.

In general, each Papercutz volume -- 112 pages in full color with a
trim size of 5” x 7 1/2” -- will present a year’s worth of stories. The

books will appear in two formats: hardcover for $12.95 and paperback
for $7.95. The release of BIONICLE #1 dovetails with LEGO’s plans to
release all-new Toa Nuva figures; LEGO is planning a huge promotional
effort, including a partnership with McDonald’s.

BIONICLE, launched in 2001, is LEGO’s hottest toy line since the
original LEGO blocks.
• It’s a favorite among boys age 7 through 12, earning more than $150
million in annual revenue.
• The website BIONICLE.com attracts two million unique visitors per
month.
• BIONICLE characters appear on apparel, bedding, stationery, board
games, and other products.
• Scholastic has sold more than 1.5 million copies of BIONICLE chapter
books.
• Universal Studios is planning a direct-to-DVD release of a BIONICLE
movie for the end of 2009.