As the years march on the story of Mortal Kombat and its continued runaway success only grows more interesting and legendary. For author David L Craddock: the saga has inspired a wealth of material for his book Long Live Mortal Kombat Round 1 and now he's seeking to source funds from the very fandom he has written about to complete the ultimate printing. Read on for details:

For over six years the dedicated team over at Uppercut Editions has tirelessly poured resources into one of the most ambitious fan projects to date. Their Mortal Kombat Encyclopedia Project has showcased what true passion and dedication can entail. The Mortal Kombat franchise has seen many different kinds of memorabilia and licenses throughout its many decades of existence, but one item that has always been missing was a centralized resource encompassing all of the lore and story behind the beloved franchise. The idea of having a coffee table type book detailing every single game, character, and unique facts throughout Mortal Kombat’s history has been a dream for almost every collector.

Fan campaigns and petitions have become a staple of social media fandom throughout the promotional life of Mortal Kombat X. For every omitted character and potential crossover - there is likely one or more attempts to support it to reality.

Not all petitions are created equal, but occasionally a sound idea and swell of interest breaks out from the ever growing pack. Nearing 4,000 e-signatures at the time of this writing - the message behind We Want An MK Lore Encyclopedia has been heard loud and clear!

The petition has been tirelessly circulated by fan Myke Snow. Among the most prominent supporters of an MK Encyclopaedia is Shawn Kittelsen. As writer of DC Comics' Mortal Kombat X series, he's helped usher Mortal Kombat in its return to print, and spent much time digging into character history, whilst navigating the pitfalls of unreliable online sources. Many NetherRealm Studios staff have also shown enthusiasm and support, including MKX Producer Andrew Stein, and Cinematic Director Dominic Cianciolo!

Prima Games have been a constant of the Mortal Kombat release cycle, printing official strategy guides from the misty days of the arcade, right through to the last game: Mortal Kombat (2011).

Sadly, the tradition of official printed strategy guides looks like it will break with the release of Mortal Kombat X. Prima Games has confirmed they do not have the rights to print a guide for the latest title, but "certainly would if we could."

Prima's 2011 strategy guide was marred by errors, but the publisher offered a make good to customers in the form of unique correction cards for each character -- themselves a collectible item.

Past Prima guides have included character bios, artwork and trivia, along with the usual content of combos, strategies and secret inputs. It's a double blow for collectors of printed material - some fans disappointed by Warner Brothers' decision to omit an Art Book from this game's Kollector's Editions.

When Warner Bros. revealed their Mortal Kombat: Kollector's Edition back in 2011 - it was a revelation. Stuffed with extras; the various packaged specials helped make Mortal Kombat the highest selling installment in franchise history!

Fans clearly remember it fondly.

With the announcement of Mortal Kombat X: Kollector's Edition - one key omission from the extras line-up has sparked a groundswell for change from within the fan kommunity - and beyond it.

Mortal Kombat Online has learned from reliable sources that various project artists were disappointed their work would not be immortalized in print for the current project. This echoes a chorus of cries from vocal fans - eager to hold a physical record beyond in-game and online images.

When asked by a fan about prospects of a book, long time Moral Kombat Designer John Vogel noted: "... it would be a shame if there wasn't one".

The Art of Mortal Kombat collector's book set a simple but effective benchmark, taking players deep inside the creative process by showcasing the work of various NetherRealm Studios conceptual artists.

Across the many fighting games - Mortal Kombat has demanded some of the most aggressive design revamps of any series. Despite the iconic status of many of its characters, few remain visually similar, undergoing sometimes radical aesthetic changes from game to game. This adds even greater value to the visual record published in art book form, capturing a snapshot in the evolution of the various fighters. It's a quality many fans of the series respond to - and something Mortal Kombat Online can also get behind.

Editor's note: [This was our annual April Fools joke. We will now return to our scheduled programming. Thank ]{0MBAT for the concept and cover that started it!]

Parlofoil Book Group have announced the release of a new series of novel adaptations based on the characters and properties of Mortal Kombat. Authored by New York Times Best Selling Writer James Patterson, a series of six novels will retell the story of Outworld's invasion, reimagined as a sci-fi investigative thriller.

The first novel, entitled simply Mortal Kombat, will reimagine the threat of Outworld as an interdimensional throwback to ancient Earth, where portions of the supercontinent Gondwana was teleported away before continental shift divided the Earth. It seems likely a parallel history will have evolved in Outworld, before the continent returns to the modern day.

Like the recent Rebirth movie reel, which gave way to the announcement of the upcoming live-action digital series [full story]; Sonya and Jax take centre stage in roles loosely inspired by their video game counterparts. Kano is also announced to appear in a sequel book, suggesting they will continue to appear as the novels spin-out into individual stories.

Special hardcover editions of the novel will be released April 19, two days before softcover releases go on sale globally. The special edition also includes a foreword by Stephen King!

Over at Amazon.com you can now pre-order the strategy guide to MK: Shaolin Monks. They've got it listed for $11.55 and they have the release date listed as September 27, 2005. As mentioned in a previous update here, the strategy guide by Prima will include a free CD. Check out the cover: To check out the whole pre-order page, click here. Thanks a lot to MK Online forum/chat guy DECEPTION for the word on this update!

Update: An even better version of the cover can be found here, thanks to MK Online chatter/forum poster fraysol for this part of the update!