Long Live Mortal Kombat's Kickstarter page is up!
Hey, everyone,
My Kickstarter for Long Live Mortal Kombat launches this Tuesday, March 29. The basic page is active now, so click here to be notified as soon as the campaign is live.
Ahead of Tuesday, here’s a refresher on what you need to know about Long Live Mortal Kombat.
Overview
Long Live Mortal Kombat: Round 1 – The Fatalities and Fandom of the Arcade Era is the massive (approximately 205,000 words) first installment of the "LLMK" series. The book covers the arcade era of the franchise, from the genesis (pun intended) of the first MK through MK4's revision 3.0 update in arcades.
Like many of you, I've grown up with Mortal Kombat. It's near and dear to my heart, and this year is extra special: The franchise turns 30 in October. Long Live MK celebrates the franchise, but it also celebrates the fans whose passion and support propelled it into popular culture in 1992.
Appropriately, Long Live MK not only recounts the making of MK1, MKII, MK3, Ultimate MK3, and MK4, but it shines a spotlight on members of the "kommunity" who have contributed to it. Collectors, pro players, commentators, self-style "arcade rats" who were known and feared from coast to coast here in the United States, and international players and fans who made Mortal Kombat a part of their lives no matter where they lived.
Long Live MK comprises four sections, one for each of the four main installments of the series' arcade era. Every section features several types of chapters:
· making-of sections written based on deep research and lengthy interviews with developers such as John Tobias and folks from Acclaim, as well as high-level players who break down each game's mechanics;
· arcade sections where you'll hear firsthand from individuals who pumped tens of thousands of quarters into coin-op cabinets; and
· kommunity-oriented sections that share the stories of fans whose lives were changed by Mortal Kombat, and in many cases, through the bonds they've formed with one another.
I've interviewed over 60 individuals to write Long Live MK: Round 1, and you'll hear from all of them. You'll also share in their passion for MK by reading their stories and getting a look at pictures from their collection they were kind enough to share with me.
Long Live MK will be available in print and digital formats later this year, and promises to be the most comprehensive exploration of Mortal Kombat in any medium, ever.
Editions
There will be two editions of Long Live Mortal Kombat: Round 1. The first edition will be available in paperback, digital formats, and hardcover, and will exhibit the cover art shown here. The second edition, Ultimate Long Live Mortal Kombat: Round 1, will only be available in an oversized hardcover, and will contain lots of pictures and photographs unavailable in the standard edition.
I’m offering two editions for two reasons. First, printing costs add up quickly; the first, or "standard" edition will contain very few pictures and photos, and will be in black and white to keep printing costs reasonable. The Ultimate edition will go all out with a lavish layout and dozens of screenshots, photos, and more. The story told in both books is the same, but if you're a collector, you'll want the Ultimate edition on your shelf.
The title, of course, is a wink and a nod to MK3's upgrade. Ultimate tells the same story as the standard edition, but is available in an oversized book with dozens of full-color game screenshots and photographs submitted by lifelong fans of Mortal Kombat. This edition will be expensive to print, but will be a must-have for collectors.
Kool Stuff
Ahead of Long Live MK’s publication, I'm writing a FREE companion book called Kool Stuff: Bonus Stories and Interviews from Long Live Mortal Kombat – Round 1.
Kool Stuff (if you played the Super NES port of MK3, you may recognize that name) is not a substitute for Long Live MK, and you don't have to read Long Live MK first to understand Kool Stuff. As I research and outline books, a ton of material doesn't make the cut. Rather than throw it away, I look for ways to repurpose it. Kool Stuff collects interviews and features (chapters) I could not fit into Long Live MK. In video game terms, think of it as a DLC expansion.
Kool Stuff will be serialized here in my newsletter for free, and eventually published if you'd like to add it to your shelves.
Wrapping Up
Get ready for Tuesday! Long Live MK: Round 1’s Kickstarter will have lots of tiers so you can choose exactly what you want for your MK kollection. The basic page is active now, so click here to be notified as soon as the campaign is live.