Issue 83: Monsters of Stone

Monsters of Stone is the eighty-third issue of the Winx Club Comic Series.

Synopsis
Roxy and Manuel have been growing closer as friends even though Manuel cannot bring himself to forget about Rachel and how she hurt him. In order to cheer him up, Roxy tries to get Manuel acquainted with the Winx and Specialists so that he may have many friends to fall back on when he needs them. The two of them later take a trip in the mountains to get help for an animal sanctuary Roxy wishes to build nearby the Winx Clubhouse but the two of them get caught in powerful tremors. Roxy and Manuel end up growing even closer as they try escape the mountains, and even come across the source of it all: Stone Giants created by an old enemy who wishes to exact his revenge. Luckily, the Winx are able to stop Kamud's plans and save Magix City from collapsing; all while Manuel is able to forget about Rachel as he tries to ensure Roxy's safety above his own.

Plot
Somewhere in a mountainous region, Kamud is training himself to become stronger. He has managed to knock out numerous ogres that he had been pit against and his master takes notice, insisting that Kamud no longer has anything to learn. Kamud claims that it is because his master, Jazaki, has taught him so well. Jazaki believes so as well as he is the only one who knows how to integrate the strength of one's own soul with their magic. He tells Kamud that he has been his best pupil so far and claims that he is ready to seek his revenge. Meanwhile, in Magix City, Roxy is showing Manuel around the Winx Clubhouse. She notices that Manuel is looking off elsewhere and asks if he is listening. Manuel admits to getting distracted and tells Roxy that it is nice to see her friends getting along so well. Roxy then explains that they are a closely-knit group and that her friends, the Winx, are a very special group on their own. She and Manuel sit at the base of a nearby tree as Roxy tells Manuel that she became fast friends with the six fairies and tells him that he could be their friend too, if he wanted. Manuel thanks Roxy and confesses to finding her to be very kind and good friend. However, there is just one thing bothering him. Roxy asks if he is still upset about what happened with Rachel, to which Manuel confirms, claiming that he just cannot get over it. Manuel still feels as if he should not forget what Rachel did to him since she wanted someone else and asks Roxy if he is being foolish. Roxy shyly agrees with Manuel and believes that he should not let it go because heartbreak is, sadly, a very common thing that happens to everyone.

A short while later, Roxy introduces Manuel to Bloom, Stella, Sky and Brandon. They all exchange greetings until Stella asks Roxy if she had figured out a place where she wants to build her animal shelter. Roxy confirms that she has and points over to the tree she and Manuel were talking at, claiming that the place is quiet and very sheltered. However, she still is not sure is to how she will go about making the shelter as she has too many ideas swirling in her head. Stella suggests that Roxy visit her friend Jessie since she runs an animal shelter in the mountains and insists that she would be more than happy to help a fellow animal-lover. Before Roxy can leave, Stella suggests that Manuel come along with her and Manuel is happy to tag along, claiming that he loves animals too. Roxy thanks Manuel for coming with and the two of them head out. A few hours later, the two arrive at Jessie's animal shelter, where she is just outside waving at them. When they make it to the doorstep, Jessie asks if they had a nice trip. Just then, Paul leaves the animal shelter and Roxy introduces Manuel to the both of them. Jessie tells Roxy that she prepared a spare room for Roxy (and possibly Manuel) until the ground begins to shake. The shaking becomes more violent as everyone falls to the ground and Paul suspects that it is a sudden earthquake. The earthquake ends as quickly as it began and Paul checks to see if Jessie is alright. Roxy wonders what that was and Manuel comments on how powerful the earthquake was. Roxy agrees and is thankful that the animal shelter was not destroyed. Paul proclaims that he needs to check the forests to see if there is any major damage and Jessie is sure that the animals who live in the woods are terrified. Suddenly, another tremor occurs and a piece of one of the mountains breaks off. Paul deduces that the epicenter of the earthquakes is at the mountains and claims that this will cause a major disaster. Jessie rushes to bring all of the animals inside the shelter outside and Paul rushes to his truck to check the area. Manuel offers to come with Paul and so he, Paul and Roxy head for the truck as Paul explains that there are many critical points for them to check.

The earthquakes can also be felt down in Magix City as well! Bloom asks if everyone is okay and Sky confirms this, adding that there was no damage caused to the building as well. Tecna reminds everyone that all of the buildings in Magix are "earthquake proof," but Stella is still scared as the building is rather old and she heard the tinkling of mirrors during the tremor. Speaking of which, another tremor occurs and it ends as quickly as it started. Stella is scared that there may be many more tremors to come and Bloom tries to calm her down, insisting that the Winx Club is a solid building. Though Sky claims that it is still better to be outdoors. Musa begins to worry about all of the instruments still inside and Stella throws herself into Brandon's arms, telling him to stay close to her.

At the same time, up in the mountains, Paul had to park the truck just on a mountain ridge as the earthquakes have already damaged a bridge that they need to cross. He tells Roxy and Manuel that there is a hotel just two kilometers away, but there is also a farmer who lives alone with his cows within the area. Roxy claims that she and Manuel can check the farmer's cottage and Paul gives them the directions to the cottage as he exits the truck. He promises to meet up with them in two hours and claims that if they have trouble, they can always call him using the emergency phone that he gave them. He then warns them that these phones may not work all of the time before leaving. Roxy and Manuel exit the truck and dart off in the direction of the farmer's cottage before another tremor occurs. As they head down the mountainside, Manuel grabs onto Roxy's hand as the rocks are much more loose. As they had feared, another tremor starts to occur, however, as it does so, Roxy notices that the epicenter of the earthquakes is right in front of them, just below the base of a nearby mountain. Another tremor happens and the ground between the two of them begins to break apart. The ground splits open and Roxy and Manuel plummet into the new crevice. Just as they are failing, however, two colossal statues are being formed at the epicenter, right out of the mountainside.

Back in Magix, Bloom gets a call from Faragonda who wants to know if she and the Winx are alright. Bloom tells Faragonda that they can feel the earthquakes but everyone is fine. After Bloom quiets everyone down, Faragonda reveals that she is calling because Palladium does not believe that the earthquakes are a natural occurrence, but are coming from a hostile magical force instead. She tells the girls that she needs them to return to Alfea in case these earthquakes are an orchestrated attack on Magix. Bloom promises that she and the girls will return as quickly as possible and she tells the Specialists that they need to leave as there is something much more serious going on.

At the same time, Manuel manages to come to his sense at the bottom of the crevice. He shouts Roxy's name and Roxy answers back, revealing that she had landed behind some nearby rocks. Manuel rushes to Roxy's side and Roxy tells him that she might have sprained her ankle. Manuel sits Roxy on a nearby rock as she takes off one of her boots. After trying to move her foot around for a bit, Manuel finds the sprain. He claims that it is not broken but she will still need to wrap it in something cold. He runs towards a nearby stream and dips his shirt into it. He runs back to Roxy and ties the soaked shirt around her ankle. He advises her to relax and let the cold water help reduce the swelling, but he quickly notices Roxy having trouble dealing with the wrapping. He claims that it should be helping and asks Roxy if it is not, to which Roxy confirms that it is not helping much at the moment. However, she is sure that it will help her ankle recover sooner or later and confesses to Manuel that she thinks he is a really kind person. She finds it to be her fault that Manuel's shirt got completely soaked but Manuel claims that it is no big deal and that doing so helped to wash the dust off of it. He then claims that they cannot stay in the crevice for long and asks Roxy if she can stand now. Roxy gets back on her feet with Manuel's help and claims that she can still walk even though her ankle is still in pain. She asks if they can call for a rescue and Manuel takes the emergency phone out, only to see that it broke from the fall. Since Roxy is in no shape to climb up from where they fell, Manuel proposes that they look for another way out.

The Winx return to Alfea and head into Faragonda's office, where they learn that Roxy and Manuel have gone missing somewhere in the mountains. Faragonda tells the girls that she had just called Peter, who told her that Roxy and Manuel went with him to check for serious damage done by the quakes. But when they split up from him, the two went missing. Stella panics, hoping that they were not involved in a crash, and tells Faragonda that they need to go look for their friends. Bloom asks if they can go and Faragonda gives them permission to do so. As the girls rush out of Faragonda's office, Faragonda tells the girls that she will call Red Fountain in hopes that they send a shuttle over, and that she will also be looking for a spell to counteract the one that is causing the earthquakes. Once all of them are outside, the Winx go into their Believix and fly towards the mountains. Back with Roxy and Manuel, the two of them have found another exit. Manuel asks how Roxy is doing and she apologizes for slowing him down. As she claims that she can keep going, another tremor occurs but, luckily, the two can see the sky just in front of them. Just then, Roxy's ankle begins to hurt even more and she asks for Manuel to let her rest for a moment. Manuel believes that it is too dangerous to stay where they are and climbs up a nearby wall of vines, urging Roxy to follow him. Roxy manages to climb up the wall of vines with Manuel's help, and the two of them find themselves face to face with two stone giants emerging from the mountainside just across from them! The stone giants fully emerge and stomp off in a different direction. Roxy suspects that these stone giants are the cause of the constant quakes and Manuel agrees, no longer believing that the earthquakes are a natural occurrence. Manuel then realizes that the stone giants are heading in the direction of Magix and fears that they may be on their way to attack. Roxy is also frustrated as the two of them are stuck unable to warn anyone. Little do they know is that the Winx are already on their way!

Speaking of the Winx, the six fairies have found themselves face to face with the same Stone Giants Roxy and Manuel saw rise from the mountainside. Musa wonders what they are, to which Bloom claims that they are giant stone monsters and Stella claims that they are headed for Magix. Bloom adds that the Stone Giants are also headed for the magical colleges and deduces that, if they continue on their course, Cloud Tower will be their first target. Stella claims that they will need to warn the witches quickly and Bloom tells Flora and Aisha to go as they continue to look for Roxy and Manuel. Before they leave, Bloom also advises them to see how magic affects the Stone Giants. Aisha and Flora try attacking with their Plasma Bolt and Green Ivy spells respectively, but neither of their attacks even faze the Giants. The two of them then fly off the Magix as instructed as Flora tells Aisha that the colleges will need to prepare for a horrible battle. The rest of the Winx head farther into the mountains to continue their search for their friends.

Meanwhile, Manuel and Roxy are still trying to find a way out of the mountains before another tremor occurs. As they hurry across a mountain ridge, the two of them overhear someone in a cave. They hide behind a rock and look inside, discovering that Kamud is hiding in the cave. He orders his troll slaves to hurry up as his Stone Giants will be approaching Cloud Tower at any second and wants to enjoy the show. Kamud then approaches a glass jar full of magical balls as he comments on how great they are doing. After his Stone Giants destroy all of the magical colleges in Magix, he will use that opportunity to rule over it with the might of more Stone Giants. Roxy and Manuel try to sneak out of their hiding spot in order to warn everyone of Kamud's plans but, as they try to escape, Roxy unintentionally kicks some rocks over. Two of Kamud's trolls pick up on the sound and look for any intruders. As they come closer, Manuel tries to ease Roxy into hurrying out of the cave. At the same time, Faragonda, Griffin, Saladin and all of the professors and students of each college have gathered to try and defend Magix. Saladin has a fleet of shuttles attack the Giants first and the Specialists orchestrate it. Once all of the shuttles are in place, they begin to fire lasers at the Giants. The Giants try to swat the shuttles away and one of them manages to damage one of the shuttles, causing said shuttle to execute an emergency landing. Codatorta notices that the Giants have now created a magical shield in order to deflect the lasers and Saladin has all of the Specialists withdraw before it gets too dangerous. Faragonda proposes that they attack with magic and Griffin agrees, urging for all of the fairies and witches to gather together. Just then, Flora and Aisha arrive to join in on the Magic Chain and they all send out a Magic Wave to attack the Giants. It works momentarily, until one of the Giants tries trampling the students, causing them to panic and flee. Faragonda also begins to lose her composure as their magic is not strong enough to even stop the Stone Giants. Griffin claims that she has never seen anything like this and thinks that the Giants can only be destroyed by the same magic that created them. Without knowing the source of the magic, Griffin also believes that their colleges are doomed.

However, at that moment, the four Winx fairies come across something. From the ground below, Roxy notices that the Winx have come looking for them. Manuel wonders how they will be able to signal the Winx without being spotted by the trolls and Roxy claims that she might know of a way.

As the Winx continue flying around, Stella notices that quagli birds are beginning to fly in a strange pattern and, soon enough, the quagli birds fly in a strange formation until they spell out ROXY. The four fairies swoop down to see Roxy and Manuel get attacked by two trolls. Manuel manages to block one of the trolls and, before he is attacked by the other, Bloom manages to attack him in time, causing the troll to cry for help as he flees.

Kamud hears the troll's cry for help and turns around, only to find that the Winx have found his lair. His troll slaves attack the Winx but are quickly blown away by Musa's Sound Waves. Kamud rushes for his jar and begins throwing the magical balls at the Winx. Bloom pushes Stella out of the way and, when the magical ball cracks, it generates an earthquake that almost knocks the Winx off their feet. Kamud throws another ball but Tecna manages to erect her Energy Shield in time to deflect it. However, the blow to her shield was still a powerful one. Stella worries that Tecna will not be able to keep the shield up for another attack but Tecna has a plan in mind. Kamud throws another magical ball but Tecna manages to convert her shield into a mirror, which deflects the ball back at Kamud. Kamud manages to dodge the ball but it cracks on the wall behind him, causing an earthquake that rips open the ground below him and his troll slaves. The Winx try to escape the caves before it collapses on them, but Bloom rushes to the back of the caves in order to take Kamud's jar. She manages to escape the caves before being flattened, where she reunites with the rest of the remaining Winx, who have also found Roxy and Manuel.

Clutching the jar closely, Bloom approaches Roxy and asks if she and Manuel are okay, expressing her relief for their safety. Roxy assures Bloom that they are alright and insists that they were both saved thanks to her and the Winx. Bloom then urges everyone to return to Alfea with her as she believes that the magical balls may be of use to them there. Meanwhile, the Stone Giants are getting closer and closer to Cloud Tower. Griffin is certain that Cloud Tower will be lost, as there is no way to stop the Giants, and Saladin suspects that the Giants will attack Alfea once Cloud Tower is destroyed, and then destroy the rest of Magix after Alfea's destruction.

Just then, the four Winx fairies slowly approach from behind the Giants. Bloom tells Stella that it will all be up to them but Stella is still not sure if her plan will work. Bloom reminds Stella that the first lesson they were taught was that only the magic that created something can destroy it and Stella throws one of the magical balls at one of the Giants' legs. The ball lands a hit and the Giant's leg falls apart! Now that Bloom's plan has been confirmed, the two of them begin pelting the Giants with the magical balls until nothing is left in the jar. The crowd of students, professors and headmasters cheer on the Winx for saving them yet again.

Some time later, Faragonda praises the Winx for foiling Kamud's plan and for saving Magix and its colleges once again. Bloom diverts the praise to Roxy and Manuel, as it was thanks to them that they were able to even find Kamud's hideout. Bloom then wonders if Kamud will strike again since they were unable to capture him, but Faragonda assures Bloom that she has no need to worry as she is certain that he will just be defeated again. She proclaims that the remnants of the Stone Giants will stand as a reminder to everyone of how powerful the Winx all are. Manuel and Roxy stand behind the crowd of fairies, witches and Specialists hand in hand. Manuel asks Roxy if she is okay and if her ankle still hurts, to which Roxy responds by claiming that it does not hurt as much now. She then asks Manuel if he is okay since they had quite the adventure today. Manuel claims that he is indeed okay and tells Roxy that he never thought of Rachel for one moment as he had other things to think about. Roxy hopes that he had beautiful things to think about and Manuel confesses that the most beautiful thing on his mind was her; kissing Roxy on the cheek to prove it.

Spells Used

 * Plasma Bolt - Used by Aisha to attack one of the Stone Giants.
 * Green Ivy - Used by Flora in an unsuccessful attempt at stopping the Stone Giants.
 * "The magic of all of us together: grow and hit what threatens us! The stone monsters must return to hard stone, which cannot move!" - Used by the Alfea Fairies and Cloud Tower Witches to send out a magical wave against the Stone Giants.
 * Dragon Fire's Tongue - Used by Bloom against one of Kamud's trolls.
 * Sound Wave - Used by Musa to fend off Kamud's trolls.
 * Energy Shield - Used by Tecna to defend Bloom, Stella, Musa and herself from Kamud's magical balls.

Mistakes

 * Throughout the issue, the yellow ombre streaks in Roxy's hair are either barely visible or are just not there. The blue paw print on her shirt is also missing for a majority of the issue.
 * On page 19, as Roxy and Manuel watch the Stone Giants head off for Magix, Manuel's eyes are orange instead of dark blue.
 * On the same page, as the Winx come face to face with the Giants, Bloom's arm and Musa's legs are covered in sparkles/glitter, even though their entire limbs are not covered in transparent sparkling fabrics.
 * On page 20, Aisha's pink glove and bracelet are missing. Her Believix wings are also in similar shape to Roxy's as she flies off with Flora.
 * On page 21, as Flora and Aisha head for Cloud Tower, both of their bottom pairs of wings are missing.
 * On page 28, the bottom pair of Bloom and Stella's wings are missing.
 * On the same page, the lower pair of Bloom's wings do not have their bright blue borders in the lowest panel. Musa's fingerless gloves are also shortened.
 * On page 30, Bloom declares to Kamud that they have now discovered his liar instead of his lair.
 * On page 31, as Tecna tries to shield her and her friends from Kamud's attacks, her hair reverts back to how it usually was during the first three seasons, despite still being in her Believix.
 * On page 33, as Bloom reaches for the jar full of magical balls, her gloves are missing.
 * On page 34, as Bloom asks if Roxy and Manuel are okay, the blue heart-shaped pin at the back of her head is missing.
 * For the last 2 to 3 pages of this issue, the bottom pair of the Winx's Believix wings are missing (excluding Tecna).

Debuts

 * Jazaki
 * Stone Giants

Characters

 * The Winx Club
 * Bloom
 * Stella
 * Musa
 * Tecna
 * Aisha
 * Flora
 * Roxy
 * The Specialists
 * Sky
 * Brandon
 * Timmy
 * Helia
 * Manuel
 * Alfea Staff
 * Faragonda
 * Palladium
 * Wizgiz
 * Enemies
 * Kamud
 * Stone Giants
 * Humans
 * Jazaki
 * Jessie
 * Paul
 * Cloud Tower Staff
 * Griffin
 * Cloud Tower Students
 * Rachel (mentioned)
 * Lynel
 * Ivey
 * Lunilla
 * Red Fountain Staff
 * Saladin
 * Codatorta

Trivia

 * This is the only instance in which Roxy starts a relationship with someone.