| We take look at part 4 of the 1994 Mortal Kombat comic from Malibu. Over halfway through now!  |  |
| Published by: Malibu Comics October 1994 - April 1995 Bobby Rae - inker Charles Marshall - writer Dave Lanphear - letterer John Tobias, Mark Paniccia- editor Patrick Rolo - penciler Scott Christian Sava / Janice Wismar / Violent Hues -colourist |
ISSUE 4 - KOMBAT ZONES
We begin with the scattered Kombateers gathering their wits, and dealing with the fallout of last issue. Now, they have come to Outworld.
We begin with the scattered Kombateers gathering their wits, and dealing with the fallout of last issue. Now, they have come to Outworld.
 |  |
Rayden and Sub-Zero have a bit of a pissing contest about cartography whilst searching for Hydro, until the Possessed Throat of Sub Zero does it's spider-sense thing again, and warns of imminent undead danger.
| In a first for this series, we cut to do something that has ties to last scene. Scorpion is whupping Hydro around the head before punching through him. Possibly. Gloating over his latest victim, Scorpion fails to notice the big bolt of lightning that strikes him. Rayden and Sub-Zero arrive to completely ignore the dead Hydro, and Subby decided he's not scared of the dead, ghostly ninja with flaming skull that can fly and punch through people. This being said, Subbywub then then ice-blasts and jump-kicks the spectre into...chunks. Scorps isn't too pleased with this, and so he floats/explodes off into the distance to find some more power to beat Subby. |  |
We zap back to Shang Tsung's island, where some generic Kombatants appear to be nicking everything that’s not nailed down. They discuss how Goro has disappeared, right up until Goro appears, and smacks them about. Goro tells them to spread the word that Goro has gone nowhere...
SURPRISE! ITS ACTUALLY SHAPE-SHIFTING SORCEROR SHANG TSUNG!
We return to Outworld, where Johnny Cage is wandering through a jungle. He is captured by some ...purple skinned albinos? Cage discusses moves from his movies whilst fighting them. Because he's a Actor.
In Movies.
That he's in.
You get that now? Or do we need to continuously beat you round the head a bit more with this fact?
Suddenly, Sonya appears with more Purple Skinned Albinos. But, as Cage soon discovers, It not Sonya!
It's Queen Aynos! Who sentences him to death! Then Sonya turns up! And they battle!
And talk! Aynos uses her explody-kiss power, and apparently misses both Sonya and Cage, who double kick her in the face.
They realize that they are no longer on the island of Shang Tsung, and make some awful references.
SURPRISE! ITS ACTUALLY SHAPE-SHIFTING SORCEROR SHANG TSUNG!
We return to Outworld, where Johnny Cage is wandering through a jungle. He is captured by some ...purple skinned albinos? Cage discusses moves from his movies whilst fighting them. Because he's a Actor.
In Movies.
That he's in.
You get that now? Or do we need to continuously beat you round the head a bit more with this fact?
Suddenly, Sonya appears with more Purple Skinned Albinos. But, as Cage soon discovers, It not Sonya!
It's Queen Aynos! Who sentences him to death! Then Sonya turns up! And they battle!
And talk! Aynos uses her explody-kiss power, and apparently misses both Sonya and Cage, who double kick her in the face.
They realize that they are no longer on the island of Shang Tsung, and make some awful references.
 |  |
Meanwhile, Kano and Liu Kang are flirting/being manly at each other with firewood. (Kano breaks a log over his own head, which is pretty bad-ass). Lu realizes that Kano has the Tao Te Zhan,
and kicks Kano to get the book, whilst telling him he would not steal it from him, even though it's place is in the Temple of Light.
Liu discovers the first riddle of The Book
“YOU MAY SWALLOW ME, BUT I MAY SWALLOW YOU”.
Liu correctly guesses the answer of Water, and the book opens it's next page. Kano plans to let Liu work out the riddles, and take the final power for himself, but Scorpion arrives to steal the book. He dramatically stands on a rock and tells Liu and Kano that only he can have the power of the Tao Te Zhan.
and kicks Kano to get the book, whilst telling him he would not steal it from him, even though it's place is in the Temple of Light.
Liu discovers the first riddle of The Book
“YOU MAY SWALLOW ME, BUT I MAY SWALLOW YOU”.
Liu correctly guesses the answer of Water, and the book opens it's next page. Kano plans to let Liu work out the riddles, and take the final power for himself, but Scorpion arrives to steal the book. He dramatically stands on a rock and tells Liu and Kano that only he can have the power of the Tao Te Zhan.
MUSINGS ON THE ISSUE.
Right. Gonna get this out of the way. The Aynos / Sonya sequence is godawful. It's truly insipid and uninspired stuff that feels like a check-list being ticked. We need a Mirror Fight! Ram it in there!It's never explained, it's not acknowledged afterwards. Speaking of things not being acknowledged...What happened to Hydro? Poor sod got beaten to death, Subby never mentions it. Even when standing OVER HIS DAMN BODY.
This has been the worst issue so far, in terms of story / plotting. Though it's nice change of pace to mostly follows only 2 sets of characters that interlink stories, with a aside starring Cage n' Blade.
The artwork stays reasonable and enjoyable.
Mostly though, I miss Goro. Without his bluster, it becomes painfully apparent that the characters have reverted to nothing more than the in-game bios.
Oh Goro. I miss you...........
Right. Gonna get this out of the way. The Aynos / Sonya sequence is godawful. It's truly insipid and uninspired stuff that feels like a check-list being ticked. We need a Mirror Fight! Ram it in there!It's never explained, it's not acknowledged afterwards. Speaking of things not being acknowledged...What happened to Hydro? Poor sod got beaten to death, Subby never mentions it. Even when standing OVER HIS DAMN BODY.
This has been the worst issue so far, in terms of story / plotting. Though it's nice change of pace to mostly follows only 2 sets of characters that interlink stories, with a aside starring Cage n' Blade.
The artwork stays reasonable and enjoyable.
Mostly though, I miss Goro. Without his bluster, it becomes painfully apparent that the characters have reverted to nothing more than the in-game bios.
Oh Goro. I miss you...........
 | Adam "Gruffy" Nicol is the High Lord Protector of the Old Oilhouse, and has screamed at things not working right with it since the day it was born. His knowledge and love of 90's tat and pop culture borders on the worryingly psychotic.... |
