William Freedman

Mighty Mighty William Freedman

How would a world populated by superheroes differ from our own?

Not much.

If you have a rare skill or a talent or an ability that you're not using, then maybe you could relate to our heroes:

• Orville Ortley, Mucus-Man, whose snot has the explosive power of a howitzer shell
• Kevin Kiley, Count Karma, invincible wonder of the ethereal plane who's utterly useless on earth
• Mindy Maguire, Supermodel, upon whom the goddesses bestowed the most unwelcome power a Smith College women's studies major could imagine

Instead of fighting evil on a cosmic scale, they guard St. Louis's Chesterfield Mall. That is, until the day the villains' lobby, the American Malevolence Institute, sets its sights on this ordinary shopping center. If the Institute should defeat this discount-bin collection of mall cops, it would mean the end of all life on earth.

Battling these villains would be an epic struggle in itself but, along the way, our heroes must also contend with the headline-grabbing super-group The Crusaders, a once-peaceable young woman who has been transformed into a chaotic beast after having been bitten by a radioactive badger, stifling government bureaucracy, the capriciousness of deities and, of course, their own personal shortcomings and that of their teammates.

Who will survive? Who will prevail? Who will prove themselves mighty?