The Good
The mythos of Mortal Kombat can be intimidating as well as a tad convoluted at times. With this first issue of MORTAL KOMBAT X, readers are dunked into a kiddie-pool of MK lore and it's a soft and easy blow to the reader without dumping gallons on history onto their heads. Writer Shawn Kittelsen does a fine job at presenting this package that is the world of Mortal Kombat to readers which both those familiar and unfamiliar with the mythos will enjoy reading.
This first issue takes place just a few years after Mortal Kombat 9 and it mainly follows Kenshi and features Scorpion, Hsu Hao, and even a little surprise at the end of the issue. Kenshi has always been quite a compelling character: a blind man who is a master at martial arts who possesses telekinetic abilities. Kenshi apparently has a child and after a battle with Hsu Hao, which is ended quickly by Scorpion, we learned how he came to have a son.
We get a really cool flashback scene where Kenshi is off on a mission that connects him to his son. The color work from Veronica Gandini is fantastic during these scenes. The muted color palate is very appealing and gives the obvious impression that we're in the world of the flashback.
In addition to that flashback scene, the art here is beautiful. Dexter Soy and Gandini do an amazing job in this first issue. Character designs and color look wonderful and it's a nice break from the darker look fans have gotten used to in the video games. Also, bearded Scorpion is super-cool looking. As far as the creative team goes as a whole, there's a lot of potential for this to be a top weekly, digital book.
Lots of people want to know if this book can live up to the brutality and violence of the video game series. In short, yes it does. Now, this book isn't about violence and brutality though. It's about story, character development, and introducing this world to readers. Violence is merely a means to an end for some scenes. The balance between violence and story is near perfect here. We even get a fatality here, without Shao Kahn yelling "Finish Him" over the page. It's brutal. It's violent, but don't the book doesn't let that be the focus of the issue, which is a great thing.
The Bad
There's certain lines or phrases that have to be in a Mortal Kombat comic, no matter what. "Get over here" is one of those phrases. So Scorpion shouting a version of that out is a bit forgivable, even though it feels a tad cheesy. There's another moment with a cheesy line of dialogue where a mother says something that feels very much like a 90s one-liner that doesn't fit the tone of the the book. The last page also sat a little rough as far as dialogue goes. It's not bad, but for a big moment like this one, it just feels a little out of place for the character. Aside from that, the dialogue works well, there's just a few hiccups.
The Verdict
In the past, books, films, television, and even some games with "Mortal Kombat" slapped onto the title have sucked, for the most part. What Mortal Kombat X does well is that it's a labor of love written by someone who loves the mythos and understands it but can still present it to a mainstream audience. This first issue is a success and even die-hard, hardcore MK fans will love this. The talent on this issue it top notch and if you're a MK fan, this is a must read. DC Digital has yet another hit on their hands.