Mortal Kombat Comics (Malibu)

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. They did, however place 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. Therefore, there is only one undisputed and ultimate Tao Te Zhan book that remains in existence today. However, the catch with 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 they have been answered by various warriors, most specifically Sub-Zero, Scorpion, Liu Kang, Johnny Cage and Sonya. Sub Zero answered two riddles (the rest only have answered one) and at some stage of their adventures have they tried to unlock the book's power. The books' last riddle was solved by Goro, who had disappeared in between Blood & Thunder and Battlewave. Raiden and Shang Tsung however, join forces to strip Goro off his newfound power.

The Seven Riddles of the Tao Te Zhan are the seven special riddles that must be solved in order to unlock the ultimate power it possesses:


 * "You may swallow me, but I may swallow you." The answer, which was "water", was solved by Liu Kang.
 * "Ten men's length, ten men's strength, ten men cannot tear it, but a little boy walks away with it.” The answer, which was "rope", was solved by Scorpion.
 * "What overcomes you, yet you do not see it?" The answer, which was "sleep", was solved (inadvertently) by Sonya Blade.
 * "What bridge is built without stone or wood?” The answer was solved by Sub-Zero, which was "ice".
 * The fifth riddle is never mentioned. It is however mentioned that Sub-Zero answered the fifth riddle, whatever it was.
 * "What is higher than a house, yet is smaller than a mouse?" The answer, which was "a star in the sky", was solved by Johnny Cage.
 * "What belongs to you, but others use it more than you do?" The answer, which was answered by Goro, was "your name" (although ironically, many characters referred to themselves in third person many times in the comic series). As a result, Goro walked away with the Tao Te Zhan's power, only to be stripped off it by Shang Tsung's and Raiden's powers combined.

List of issues Light and Darkness A Slow Boat to China Test Your Might The Art of War Kombat Zones Tao Mortal Mayhem