Mortal Kombat (comics)

Cover of Malibu Comics' Mortal Kombat: Tournament Edition II #1

The Mortal Kombat comic books series included the official Mortal Kombat comics by Midway and a licensed adaptation series by Malibu Comics that was published in 1994-1995. There are thus two different lineups of Mortal Kombat comics: the tie-ins published by Midway (some of them made by Mortal Kombat co-creator John Tobias) and DC Comics that closely followed the storyline of the games, and the Malibu series, which took a few liberties with the source material.

Comics published by Midway Games

The Midway comics were tie-ins published to coincide with the launches of Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat II, Mortal Kombat 4 and Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe. They offered insight into the backstory to each of the games as well as providing exposition of events occurring before each game.

Mortal Kombat Collector's Edition

Midway's comic book adaptation of the original Mortal Kombat was only released by mail order when the original arcade version was released in 1993. The mail order deal was displayed during the attract mode of the game. (This mode of advertising was also used in Mortal Kombat II.) The comic book would later be sold normally around the country, although it was close to impossible to get a copy outside of the United States. The comic was written and illustrated by John Tobias, the early Mortal Kombat series' designer artist. The final few pages offer character profiles for the seven playable characters in the original MK and the boss, Goro.

The comic begins by filling in the backstory of Shang Tsung, the Great Kung Lao, and Goro, and tells us that Goro's victory in Mortal Kombat meant a new beginning for the tournament, bringing a dark new era. There is a cut to the present day, where Liu Kang requests—and receives—permission from Master Wu to fight in the Mortal Kombat tournament. Wu warns Liu Kang that Shang Tsung is treacherous and Goro, while overconfident, is to be feared. Two weeks later, at a harbour in Hong Kong, Liu Kang boards a boat that will take him to the island where the tournament will be fought. Johnny Cage is seen preparing to board, reassuring his agent and personal secretary that they have nothing to worry about, though they're clearly fearful for the Hollywood star's safety and disbelieving of the legitimacy of the tournament. A few miles away, Kano and some members of his Black Dragon gang are in a jeep, attempting to evade Sonya Blade, Agent Beran (whose name is not revealed here), and a man who is apparently Jax, as well as the rest of a U.S. Special Forces unit. Kano begins to flee on foot but Sonya follows. After creating a distraction, Kano leaps aboard the aforementioned boat, all in accordance with his plan to loot all the riches he can find from Shang Tsung's palace. In the mountains of rural Japan, Shang Tsung issues a challenge to Raiden, God of Thunder, inviting him to compete in the tournament. After Raiden accepts, Shang Tsung reminds Raiden that the tournament will be fought in his domain and under his rule. Back on the boat, Kano is trying to use intimidation tactics on Cage and a fight breaks out, but Liu Kang takes down Kano's associates before any further fighting can ensue. Watching from above, Sub-Zero surveys the scene, unaware of the lurking ghastly spectre of Scorpion, who ambushes him from behind. Scorpion vows to kill Sub-Zero just as Sub-Zero killed Scorpion exactly two years ago. However, he states he is no mere murderer and, instead of killing the Lin Kuei warrior on the boat, he will do so at the tournament. Sub-Zero says Scorpion is a fool to spare his life. At the island, after a day of practice and training, Shang Tsung and Goro welcome the participants in the tournament and introduce the latest entrant, Sonya Blade, who had been trying to track Kano down to the island, but was captured and brought in by guards. Shang Tsung says that not only does Sonya's life depend on her performance in the tournament, but so do the lives of her accompanying unit, who have also been captured. Goro then announces the start of the tournament and the story ends with the caption "To be continued...at an arcade near you!"

Mortal Kombat II Collector's Edition

Midway's comic book adaptation of Mortal Kombat II was published by mail order during the release of the arcade version, much like with the original game's comic. Likewise, the second comic book reflects the events that were raised in the game. This book was also written, penciled, and colored by John Tobias. Scorpion's role in the comic is contradictory to both his character ending in the MKII video game and to his role in Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks. In addition, Shaolin Monks' intro sequence and first level are in contradiction to the opening few pages of the comic (wherein Johnny Cage offers up a largely different scenario).

The story begins with Johnny Cage recounting the events of the first game's final moments. He explains that Shang Tsung unleashed a horde of warriors on the Earthrealm fighters following Liu Kang's victory over Goro; and that Kano, Sonya, and himself were rushed by Goro at The Pit. Suddenly, an explosion knocked out the bridge from underneath them and everyone fell. Cage was saved, however, by Raiden, who informed him that Liu Kang had killed Shang Tsung and the island, which was held together by Tsung's presence, is self-destructing. Raiden further elaborates that Liu Kang has already escaped and, following the battle with Tsung's army, Sub-Zero was killed by Scorpion, who then burst into flames and burned to ash before Raiden's eyes. The ensuing explosion apparently knocked Cage out. The next thing he recalls is seeing a U.S. military vessel. He then snarls, "And that's the last time I'm telling you the story." As it turns out, Cage has been telling the story to a disbelieving Jax and Agent Beran (a reference to Mortal Kombat series art director Steve Beran), who is more open to the story considering Cage has recounted the story five times with exactly the same details each time. Jax doesn't believe Cage's story on account of a distress signal from Sonya pinpointed to where they found Cage. And, more precisely, because he doesn't believe Sonya would ever fight alongside Kano, even if, as Cage says, she had no choice. He releases Cage due to lack of evidence. Meanwhile, in Outworld, Shao Kahn is being addressed by King Gorbak, who laments his son, Goro's, apparent death and places the blame on the shoulders of Shang Tsung, who is alive and well (for the moment) in Outworld as Liu Kang apparently only killed Tsung's form in Earthrealm. Gorbak calls for Tsung's death, but Kahn gives the shapeshifting sorcerer one chance to impress upon him why he should not personally slay him. The always wily Tsung instantly comes up with a plan: to lure the Earthrealm warriors to Outworld by breaching the dimensional gate and challenging them to Mortal Kombat. Only this time, the tournament will take place in Outworld and will be against the wishes of the Elder Gods. Kahn consults a Shadow Priest for advice and is told that due to the plan being against the wishes of the Elder Gods, it is impossible to clearly foresee the outcome. He states that should Kahn be victorious, his power will be unmatched and he will live for eternity. If the plan fails, however, Kahn will face eternal damnation. Gorbak says that if Tsung is to live then he will offer the services of Kintaro. As Shang Tsung's presence on Earthrealm no longer exists, Shao Kahn gives him a new physical form, one that is much younger in appearance. Kahn then sends Kitana, Mileena, Baraka, Kintaro, and Shang Tsung to destroy the Shaolin Monastery. At the U.S. Special Forces base, a recording is received from Sonya and Kano that confirms Cage's story as true. Jax decides to make a trip to Hollywood to track down Cage. In China, Liu Kang has returned to Shaolin to find it ruined. The apparent sole survivor of the attacks, Kung Lao, appears from the shadows and sides with his friend by offering his word that he will fight against Outworld. At that moment, a Lin Kuei hover jet lands and a man in a suit claiming to be Sub-Zero hands Liu Kang his calling card. Liu Kang states that he saw Sub-Zero die and this man cannot possibly be the same person, but the ninja says he is the brother of the original Sub-Zero and remarks that his brother's unwillingness to adapt to technological change within the Lin Kuei is what made him obsolete. He shows the monks surveillance pictures the Lin Kuei took of a man claiming to be Shang Tsung (Tsung in his new form), who appears to be searching for Cage, and the three then decide to journey to Hollywood. Cage is on set, filming a commercial for "Cage Cologne." (As an interesting side note, the director's name is "E. Boon" and bears resemblance to the franchise co-creator of the same name whilst the cameraman looks like fellow co-creator John Tobias.) At this point, Shang Tsung and the Outworld warriors sent by Kahn, flanked by numerous Masked Guards, arrive through a portal in the studio. In the hallway, Jax and Agent Beran demand to see Cage, who is then, coincidentally, blasted through the wall right in front of them. A huge fight breaks out. Sub-Zero's hover jet arrives about this time, being piloted by Smoke and a red-clad Lin Kuei member. Kung Lao and Liu Kang join the fight on Jax's side. After Smoke makes another pass in the hover jet, Sub-Zero (now in his ninja uniform) leaps down and makes an attempt on Shang Tsung's life, but is rebounded off an invisible Reptile. Before Reptile can kill Sub-Zero, however, Scorpion intervenes and attacks Reptile, saying he will defend Sub-Zero as pennance for killing his brother. Before anything else can happen, though, Raiden arrives to stop the conflict. Shang Tsung now makes his challenge before returning to Outworld with his allies, leaving the Earthrealm warriors with the choice of accepting the challenge or forfeiting. Raiden informs Liu Kang that forfeit would weaken Earthrealm's standing with the Elder Gods and Liu Kang must accept the challenge. Jax is reluctant to join Shao Kahn's tournament but is spurred on when Cage reveals Agent Beran has been killed. Sub-Zero also offers to compete. Raiden tells the gathered group of Jax, Liu Kang, Kung Lao, Johnny Cage, and Sub-Zero to "Prepare yourselves, Mortals—for Kombat in the Outworld!" The comic ends with the caption, "To be continued on a game screen near you!"

Mortal Kombat 4 Limited Edition

Despite there being no comic book tie-in for Mortal Kombat 3 (nor Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 or Mortal Kombat Trilogy, the two updated versions of MK3), one was released for 1997's MK4. This comic, written by Ted Adams and based on a story by John Tobias, explains the general backstory to the game, and gives strong hints towards which of Mortal Kombat Trilogy's character endings held true.

The comic begins in Edenia with the unrepenting Reptile being sentenced by Queen Sindel to a lifetime of hard labour in the cobalt mines of Shokan for committing genocide in the name of Shao Kahn. Sindel then holds a meeting with the Edenian Ambassador to New Realms, whose daughter, Tanya, introduces Sindel to a man from another realm seeking help. The man wears a hood to cover his pale, white face and the markings on his forehead. He claims to be from the realm of Treche (likely a play on "treachery"), taken over by the sorcerer Shil Kaad (perhaps a play on Shao Kahn's name). When Sindel becomes apprehensive, claiming she has heard neither of Treche nor Shil Kaad, the man gives her a "gift," an orb which almost mystically draws Sindel's gaze to it, to the point she cannot look away. Meanwhile, elsewhere in Edenia, Princess Kitana is trying to settle a dispute between the two former favourite races of Shao Kahn, the Shokan and the Centaurians, as a mysterious figure watches from the rafters. Just as one of the Centaurians is about to attack Kitana, the mysterious figure leaps down and subdues him. The figure turns out to be Goro, who states that while he was thought to have been killed (following the events of the first game), he was, in reality, hiding—ashamed at his loss to Liu Kang and unwilling to serve Shao Kahn. With Kahn gone, Goro says he is now back to take his father's place as leader of the Shokan and the war between the Shokan and Centaurians must stop. As peace is reached and rapturous applause for Goro and Sindel fills the building, an explosion erupts from the direction of the Capital City. The orb given to Sindel had transformed into a huge portal to the Netherrealm. Shinnok, ruler of the Netherrealm, is the first to emerge from the portal, followed by hundreds of demons, as well as the mysterious Reiko, and Scorpion, who is likely looking for another chance at life outside the Netherrealm. As Quan Chi, the man who gave Sindel the orb, discusses the success of the plan and says Tanya is to be thanked, Shinnok claims his true goal is to reach the heavens and confront the Elder Gods, and now he has that chance. Several days later, in Earthrealm, Sub-Zero has travelled to the Temple of the Elements in China. He recalls what his elder brother, the original Sub-Zero, said: that the temple is home to an amulet designed to keep Shinnok in the Netherrealm. The amulet is protected by the elements of Wind, Earth, Water, and Fire (a reference to Mortal Kombat Mythologies: Sub-Zero). As Sub-Zero prepares to make peace with the elemental Gods, he sees what he believes to be a sign falling from the sky and decides to follow it after symbolically donning his mask once more out of respect not to the Lin Kuei, but to his brother. Miles away, Liu Kang and Kai are sparring. As Liu Kang quickly gets the upper hand, Kai jokes that this is easy enough for the Immortal Champion of Mortal Kombat. Suddenly, what Sub-Zero had seen falling from the sky collides with the ground near the monks. They inspect the scene and discover demons about to slit the throat of a white-haired man. Elsewhere, Sonya Blade is battling Jarek. Unable to get the upper hand over the last remaining Black Dragon clan member, Jarek escapes. Jax then contacts Sonya and tells her she is needed to investigate an interdimensional flux in southwestern China and a helicopter piloted by Johnny Cage is sent to pick her up. At the crater, Liu Kang and Kai battle the demons well, but are outnumbered, until Raiden shows up and electrocutes the demons to death. Raiden then explains that the man who fell from the sky is Fujin, God of Wind. He elaborates that he and Fujin are the last two remaining of Earth's Gods and that the Elder Gods have been weakened by Shinnok. He and Fujin withdraw to the Eternal Palace to formulate a plan of attack, after telling Liu Kang and Kai they must go to Edenia. Just as Kai is lamenting the impossibility of such a task, the helicopter carrying Sonya and Cage arrives. Not long afterwards, Sub-Zero shows up to offer his help, correctly guessing that his brother may have played some part in Shinnok's return. Sonya uses Outer World Investigation Agency technology to open a portal to Edenia. On the other side, they are all greeted by Quan Chi, who welcomes the Earthrealm Warriors to a "Mortal Kombat like you've never seen before." The comic ends with the caption, "To be continued in Mortal Kombat 4, but it is unknown what happens next.

Mortal Kombat: Deception Limited Edition

This comic book/artbook hybrid was created jointly by artists Alé Garza, Tomm Coker, Keron Grant, Garry Leach, Steve Pugh, and Mark Texeira.

Comics published by Malibu Comics

Cover of Kitana and Mileena

While the comic books by Midway depict the game's official storyline, Malibu's Battlewave and Blood & Thunder story arcs are official publishings of the game providing alternative scenarios for the early Mortal Kombat series, thus favouring the "what if" theories. Malibu Comics canceled their line after 10 months and 27 issues (published in several mini-series) due to increasingly low sales. Dustin Quillen of 1UP.com featured the Malibu comics in his 2011 article "The Top Ten Times Mortal Kombat Went Wrong", opining it suffers from "sloppy artwork, a truly baffling sense of human anatomy, and strange lapses in continuity."^[1]

The Malibu comic books, almost all of them written by Charles Marshall, were a sort of "re-imagining" of the Mortal Kombat franchise as numerous details were altered. Characters with no particularly defined background at the time (e.g., Smoke and Jade, who were paired up in the comics) were radically different when comparing their comic book appearances to their in-game appearances. In addition, certain characters were tweaked, mostly for the sake of the plot. For example, in Mortal Kombat II, Baraka is subservient to Shao Kahn and follows his orders without question. In the comics, however, he joins an alliance with Kung Lao, Kitana, and Sub-Zero, among others, who wish to bring Kahn down.

Throughout the Malibu series, several concepts are raised that, while not always part of the game's official storyline, are, in fact, part of the "what if" hyperextension of the game. For example, it is revealed (just as it was in MKII) that Mileena was specifically designed by Shang Tsung, through sorcery, for Kahn as an imperfect clone of Kitana. However, despite being created artificially, Mileena considers herself to be "Shao Kahn's true daughter" and refers to herself in this way throughout the series, even after she learns the truth. Kung Lao and Kitana share a love relationship instead of the more canonic relationship between Kitana and Liu Kang in the later games. Johnny Cage and Sonya also have a relationship in the series, and, while the concept is highly supported by the game's storyline, there has been no official confirmation that it exists within the games. Raiden does not appear to take an active part in the second Mortal Kombat tournament. This idea would be used again during the Mortal Kombat film and the retconned story of MKII in Mortal Kombat: Shaolin Monks. Sonya, who absolutely hated Kano and did all she could to ensure his capture—if not his death—becomes fully focused on aiding her friends and Raiden, and even shares a rivalry with Mileena, who tries to kill her on many occasions. Scorpion wants to kill not only Sub-Zero in revenge for killing him, but also his family and his clan; which was not his original intention. Sub-Zero's treatment in the Malibu comics is particularly interesting. In the games, the original Sub-Zero had been killed early on (prior to Mortal Kombat II), turning into the wraith Noob Saibot, and substituted by his younger brother. However, the older Sub-Zero is portrayed prominently throughout the entire run of the comic book series; while the younger brother makes only a small appearance in the last page of the Tournament Edition II issue. In the series, the older Sub-Zero has the traits of both himself and his brother. For instance, in the beginning, he is loyal to the Lin Kuei and always speaks highly of his clan; yet later in the story he becomes more humane and, instead of being a ruthless assassin, he assists Kitana, Kung Lao, Liu Kang, and their friends. He is portrayed as heroic (in contrast to the original Sub-Zero's soul being tainted in the games), while Scorpion is made to look purely evil (as opposed to his neutral alignment in the games). On the other hand, Noob Saibot is not mentioned or featured in any of the comics except in a special Baraka issue, where he shows up in a small role as a completely separate character (at the time, his identity as the original Sub-Zero was yet to be established in the games). The final issue sees the new Sub-Zero rise to avenge the death of his brother—which largely brings things closer to the game.

Mortal Kombat: Blood & Thunder

1. Untitled (penciled by Patrick Rolo, inked by Scott Reed and Bobby Rae)
2. Light and Darkness (penciled by Patrick Rolo, inked by Bobby Rae)
3. A Slow Boat to China (penciled by Patrick Rolo, inked by Bobby Rae and Larry Welch)
4. The Art of War (penciled by Patrick Rolo, inked by Larry Welch)
5. Kombat Zones (penciled by Patrick Rolo, inked by Larry Welch)
6. Tao (penciled by Kiki Chansamone, inked by Bruce McCorkindale)
7. Mortal Mayhem (penciled by Patrick Rolo)

The Blood & Thunder story arc depicts the early Mortal Kombat series in greater detail, yet it also uses the "what if" theory to a great extent. The storyline, in addition to following the structure of the video game, also creates a storyline of its own. Blood & Thunder focuses on one primary source of power, which is a mythical book known as the Tao Te Zhan which, when opened, can unleash greater power that anyone can imagine. Originally, there were many, but over the years in which the powers of each book were unlocked and abused, the Elder Gods destroyed each separate book and placed all its previous powers into the one book and devised a powerful spell in which was to keep the book permanently closed and placed in somewhere in the mountains, never to be found again. The Tao Te Zhan is that it requires a great power to break the spell keeping it closed and the answers to seven riddles in which unlock the great power. Each solved riddle advances to the next page and is answered by various warriors, specifically Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Liu Kang, Johnny Cage and Sonya. Sub Zero answers two riddles (the rest only have answered one) and at some stage of their adventures they try to unlock the book's power. The books' last riddle is solved by Goro, but Raiden and Shang Tsung join forces to strip Goro off his newfound power.

Mortal Kombat: Battlewave

1. Where The Wild Things Are (penciled by Patrick Rolo, inked by Scott Reed and Bobby Rae)
2. A Fighting Chance (penciled by Vinton Heuck, inked by David Mowry and Scott Reed)
3. No Guts, No Glory (penciled by Patrick Rolo, inked by Richard Emond)
4. Days of Thunder, Nights of Pain (penciled by Patrick Rolo, inked by David Mowry)
5. The Killing Fields (penciled by Vinton Heuck, inked by David Mowry)
6. Death Moves (penciled by Keith Conroy and Vinton Heuck, inked by David Mowry and Jack Snider)

Mortal Kombat: Goro, Prince of Pain

1. Stranger in a Strange Land (penciled by Roy Burdine, inked by Jack Snider)
2. Down and Out in Outworld (penciled by Roy Burdine, inked by Jack Snider and Scott Reed)
3. Armed and Dangerous (penciled by Kiki Chansamone, inked by Bruce McCorkindale)

The Prince of Pain trilogy revolves around the storyline elements of chaos and order, the themes later officially introduced in the video game Mortal Kombat: Deception. The story is starred by Goro and the possible reason why he disappeared from the first game's tournament during the battle against Liu Kang, Sonya and the others. He appears in Earth and is led to Zaggot, the God of Chaos, who is the responsible of Goro's disappearance from Outworld. This story continues in Blood & Thunder storyline.

Mortal Kombat: Raiden & Kano

1. Eye of the Storm (penciled by Kiki Chansamone, inked by Abraham Madison)
2. The Evil that Men Do (penciled by Darryl Cobbs, inked by David Mowry)
3. When Part the Heavens (penciled Kiki Chansamone, inked by Abraham Madison)

Mortal Kombat: Tournament Edition

1. Tournament Edition: With Friends Like These... (penciled by Patrick Rolo, inked by Abraham Madison an Larry Welch)
2. Tournament Edition II: A Cold Day in Hell (penciled by Patrick Rolo, inked by Abraham Madison)

Mortal Kombat: U.S. Special Forces

This comic is not related to the later video game Mortal Kombat: Special Forces.

1. Secret Treasures & Kano in “Break Out” (written by Mark Paniccia, penciled by Patrick Rolo, inked by Abraham Madison)
2. Secret Treasures II (written by Mark Paniccia, penciled by Patrick Rolo, inked by Abraham Madison)

Character specials

• Baraka: Babality (penciled by Vinton Heuck, inked by Abraham Madison, cover by Scott Christian Sava)
• Kitana and Mileena: Sister Act (penciled by Greg Horn, inked by Larry Welch)
• Kung Lao: Rising Son (penciled by Tim Divar, inked by Abraham Madison)

Original characters

• Abacus: Lord Abacus is a god of order, featured in the Goro: Prince of Pain miniseries. Residing in the Library of Order, he witnesses the chaotic scheming of his brother Zaggot unfold, yet refuses to respond physically for fear of producing further chaos, thus feeding his rival. This course of action alters, however, when Abacus encounters Goro and presents to him a weapon forged of order. Abacus is finally seen versing Zaggot in a game of chess. He is accompanied by the librarian Miss Bishop, who endlessly aids him in maintaining the occurrences of the universe.
• Bo: Bo is introduced in the second issue of Battlewave as Johnny Cage's personal bodyguard sent by Cage to protect Liu Kang. Massive in size, he first appeared as Liu Kang was taking a beating from Goro, from whom Bo was able to absorb a direct punch with little effect; without his intervention, Liu Kang would almost certainly have been killed. During the course of events in the series, Bo received a broken arm yet, in Tournament Edition II, he still managed to defeat Reptile with only his good arm. Deciding he didn't know enough about Outworld to continue with Shao Kahn's "contest," he instead spent the rest of the tournament by sitting on the unconscious Reptile and keeping him pinned to the ground.

King Gorbak in Battlewave #6, by Vinton Heuck and Moose Baumann

• Gorbak: King Gorbak, ruler of the subterranean Shokan province of Outworld (specifically Kuatan), made his official debut in the 1993 Midway-published MKII comic book, in which he expresses his outrage to Shao Kahn at his son Goro's death at the hands of a Shaolin monk (Liu Kang), and then demands Shang Tsung's execution as compensation. However, Tsung talks his way out of his imminent demise by conceiving another means of invading Earthrealm through twisting the rules of the tournament, leading Gorbak to offer a new Shokan allegiance to the Outworld throne: Kintaro. In the Malibu canon, Gorbak is featured in Battlewave #1 and #6 and in MKII: Collector's Edition. Interestingly, his part in the storyline alters between his two appearances; in the first issue, Gorbak's role mirrors that of the aforementioned MKII comic, but in the sixth issue, he attends the would-be wedding of Shao Kahn and Sonya (under mind control by Kahn). Gorbak also made an appearance in the animated film Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins and is referenced briefly in Jeff Rovin's 1995 novel.
• Grum: Grum is a Shokan ruler of the Outworld province of Katala, briefly featured only in Blood & Thunder #2. He wields six sets of nunchaku with his six hands but is quickly dispatched by Sub-Zero from a simple freeze and flying-kick combination.
• Hydro: Sub-Zero's fellow Lin Kuei companion, Hydro had the ability to control water that was capable of freezing opponents upon contact. He was depicted in the Blood & Thunder series as younger than Sub-Zero yet a respectable fighter in his own right, but he was killed in Outworld by Scorpion in issue #4 as part of the latter's ongoing vendetta against Sub-Zero. Hydro also made an appearance in Mortal Kombat: Legacy, portrayed therein as an early version of the Lin Kuei's fledgling cybernetic-ninja program, unit LK 1V1, and is used to demonstrate Cyrax and Sektor's superior abilities. This version of Hydro displays the skills similar to other Lin Kuei cyborgs, such as conducting electricity.
• Lance: Lance was Sonya's Special Forces partner (assuming the role of a similar character, Sparky, who had appeared in the 1992 Midway comic based on the original MK game) who assisted her bid to capture Kano. He sported an artificial bionic arm - which served as an inspiration for Jax's metal implants in Mortal Kombat 3 - which had the ability to extend and conduct electricity. Kano defeats Lance and then performs his heart-rip Fatality during the opening bout of the MK tournament in the second issue of Blood & Thunder.
• Siang: A combination of twin Shaolin fighting monks Sing and Sang, who had the ability to merge their bodies together to form a single powerful warrior. He was considered to be the greatest champion of the Order of Light (of which Liu Kang was also a member) and was sent as their representative to participate in the MK tournament. They saw their only action in Blood & Thunder #3, when Siang attempted to attack Goro while he and the other Kombatants were imprisoned in Shang Tsung's dungeon, but they were soon forcefully ripped apart and killed by Goro. However, in the Battlewave miniseries, it was revealed that Sang had actually survived Goro's attack. Therefore, Sang joined with the deceased Sing once more to form Siang, this time on a permanent basis. Siang was controlled by Shao Kahn due to his Deathstone, a special gem that had the power to control the dead. Because Siang was only half-dead, he maintained a mind of his own and managed to crash the wedding between Shao Kahn and Sonya, yet remained under Kahn's control. In a mercy killing, Siang is slain by Scorpion through impaling the warrior's heart with his spear, then the Deathstone is destroyed.
• Sylence: Sylence appeared only in the Special Forces miniseries. She was a member of the Special Forces, with pale skin, purple hair, and solid white eyes, and her weapon of choice was a push dagger. She is the only character that uses a Fatality-like move in the miniseries.
• The Kombatant: The Kombatant was a multi-limbed all-powerful creation of sorcery, first seen at the very end of the first issue of the Goro: Prince of Pain miniseries. Created by Zaggot, it is imbued with the combined strengths and certain physical attributes of the original seven Kombatants along with Shang Tsung and Goro, resulting in a seemingly indestructible being. Upon Goro's defeat, the Kombatant is ambushed in issue #2 by Baraka, Kitana, Mileena and Reptile, all of which are easily defeated, but Baraka manages to sever its upper left arm, which then mysteriously reappeared in the next installment with no explanation. The Kombatant meets its demise when Goro easily disintegrates it with a magically-crafted machine gun bestowed upon him by Abacus.
• Zaggot: Lord Zaggot is a god of chaos and the evil brother of Abacus, featured in the Goro: Prince of Pain miniseries. He receives his sinister strengths through the disruption of events in the universe. His companion is a talking crow named Rook. Zaggot found it necessary to create the Kombatant once proposing the position to Goro, receiving refusal. Later, Zaggot reveals his true form to Goro for purposes of intimidation, only to be swallowed by Goro when the lack of ensuing chaos causes the god to shrink in size. He is later seen playing a game of chess against Abacus.

Comics published by DC Comics

Mortal Kombat VS DC Universe: Beginnings

This short comic was illustrated by returning John Tobias and written by John Vogel, another of the original four co-creators of the Mortal Kombat franchise. It is the backstory comic for the game, merging the worlds of Mortal Kombat and the DC Universe.

Mortal Kombat X: Blood Ties

DC Comics announced a prequel comic book series for Mortal Kombat X that "will feature many favorite characters and the next generation of Kombatants" as being written by Shawn Kittelsen with interior art by Dexter Soy and covers by Ivan Reis. The series debuted in January 2015.^[2][3]

Blood Ties begins several years after the end of the "Netherrealm War", when Shinnok led Netherrealm in an attempt to conquer Earth and the other realms in the wake of Shao Khan's death. Shinnok was defeated and his undead armies pushed back, save for a number of dead warriors who were restored to life. Meanwhile, Outworld fell into a civil war as Mileena was overthrown by her warchief Kotal Kahn. In the Himalayan wilderness, Kenshi and his son Takeda flee from members of the Red Dragon and are saved by Scorpion and his rebuilt Shirai Ryu clan. Kenshi explains that he was infiltrating the Red Dragon when he was exposed, causing the group to target his son, whom he did not know he had. Kenshi leaves Takeda with Scorpion and leaves to complete his mission and find the Red Dragon's leader. Meanwhile, Kuai Liang, the younger Sub-Zero (who has also been returned to life) attacks a Red Dragon Temple in China. He enters the inner chamber only to be attacked by Kano, who has taken the Kamidogu (which are daggers in this timeline) within and scars him with it, stating that the Kamidogu are cursed. Years later, Scorpion is approached by Raiden. After ensuring the Kamidogu is safe, he warns Scorpion of a demon from another realm that seeks to kill Earth's champions. Later that night, Takeda's friend Fox is driven mad by voices. Taking the Kamidogu, he is possessed by the demon and kills the rest of the Shirai Ryu, before being killed by Takeda and Scorpion. After paying their respects to the fallen, the two leave to find Raiden to seek answers. At the Sky Temple, Raiden converses with the Wind God Fujin, before using another dagger to invoke blood magic to find the demon. He discovers that they are too late and that events are already in motion. At a Special Forces base, Sonya Blade meets with Kotal Khan, Emperor of Outworld, who was captured entering Earth. Kotal explains that Mileena's resistance in Outworld is in league with the Red Dragon, and that he and his warriors are there to eliminate them. He asks for their cooperation, though Sonya refuses, and a fight ensues, but Raiden intervenes and Kotal departs, threatening to make them pay. Elsewhere, Sonya's daughter Cassie Cage, takes Jax's daughter Jacqui Briggs to what she believes to be a legal fight club, but are forced into an illegal death match against Frost. The match is interrupted by Black Dragon members Jarek and Tasia, who attempt to take Cassie and Jacqui. The two are sucked through a portal, but Cassie is able to take a picture of one of their abductors from her phone, Erron Black, one of the warriors who had been with Kotal, leaving it for Sonya. Sonya finds Cassie's phone and prepares to take her men and Johnny Cage (Cassie's father) to Outworld. In Outworld, Kotal Khan sends his father to find Prince Goro who has disappeared while looking for Mileena. Unknown to Kotal, Goro has betrayed him and joined Mileena. Goro kills Kotal's father, driving Kotal to empower himself with his Kamidogu and face Goro personally, tearing his arms off. As Kotal and his warriors leave, they are confronted by Sonya demanding her daughter's location. Kotal denies involvement but agrees to help after Erron Black is shown to be involved. Elsewhere, Erron, Kano and the Black Dragon are taking Jacqui and Cassie to an unknown location when they are ambushed by Mavado and the Red Dragon. Kano abandons Erron who is wounded and the girls kill Mavado before being taken prisoner once more. In Earthrealm, Scorpion and Takeda near the Sky Temple and are attacked by Raiden, who is under the effects of the Kamidogu's curse. Takeda is seemingly killed, causing Scorpion to savagely beat Raiden, freeing him from the curse. Raiden saves Takeda's life and explains that following Shinnok's defeat the Elder Gods locked him away in another dimension. The Kamidogu were empowered with Blood Magic to act as the keys to his prison, and entrusted to powerful warriors by Raiden, keeping their true purpose and power hidden. Scorpion is furious at the deception. Raiden apologizes, explaining that he had not foreseen the demon corrupting the magic and cursing the blades. He informs him that all the blades are accounted for, save for one which has been stolen by Sub-Zero, who was possessed when Kano scarred him with one years earlier, and Scorpion agrees to help track him down. In Outworld, Mileena's chief advisor Reiko plots with the demon cleric Havik, who promises to grant him the power to become ruler of Outworld if he brings him the Kamidogu. Meanwhile Sonya's team finds Erron Black who delievers a message that Reiko and Havik are waiting for them on Shang Tsung's island.

References

1. "The Top Ten Times Mortal Kombat Went Wrong". 1UP.com. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
2. "DC ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCES THREE NEW DIGITAL FIRST TITLES AT NEW YORK COMIC CON". DC Comics. October 12, 2014.
3. "MORTAL KOMBAT X #1". DC Comicsdate=January 12, 2015.

External links

• Mortal Kombat at Comic Vine