Midway's comic book prologue to the original "Mortal Kombat" was only released by mail order when the original arcade version was released in 1992. 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.