The Just Cause Universe Series

-A City In Darkness- -Four Lost Souls Seeking A Light- July 13, 1977 - The lives of four super-powered people become irrevocably intertwined when the lights go out in New York City, plunging their world into chaos. The superheroes of Just Cause, grown soft and complacent without any supervillains to challenge them, must overcome their personal demons as well as uphold the law in a lawless land of rioters, arson, and murder. Lurking in the darkness, like evil incarnate, is the one thing that could bring the world's greatest superheroes to their knees: the force of anarchy and vengeance known as Destroyer.

Revised & Expanded Edition! A New Hero For A New Era Mustang Sally has some speedy shoes to fill. This young superhero has waited her whole life to join Just Cause – the premiere team of American heroes. Now she’s hoping her super-speed will earn a spot on the same team to which her parents and grandparents belonged. An Old Grudge From An Old Enemy A chance encounter with the villain who killed her father changes everything. Even though she’s only an intern, Sally devotes herself to finding the man known as Destroyer. With the help of her eagle-winged best friend Sondra and her super-strong love interest Jason, her investigations uncover a sinister plot stretching all the way back to her grandparents’ era. Sally and Just Cause must risk everything to halt Destroyer’s plans and save the entire world. Bonus Features: Beyond the revised original text, this volume contains three all-new short stories that expand upon the history of Mustang Sally's family line in the context of the Just Cause Universe. It also contains a summary of the historical and contemporary superhero teams that have been part of the legendary history.

_Nothing less than the world_ The would-be Archmage has slain nearly all the magic-users in the world, taking their power for himself. If he succeeds in killing the Lucky Seven’s own mage Stratocaster, the Archmage’s power will become absolute and plunge the world into darkness under his cruel reign. But not if Mustang Sally and the rest of the Just Cause superheroes have anything to say about it. _Out of time_ Only time will tell if Sally can run fast enough to escape the Archmage’s clutches, fast enough to outwit his evil plan, fast enough to save the world. _Praise for Just Cause, the first novel in the Just Cause Universe_ “Ian Healy's Just Cause is a slam-bang good superhero story: part JLA, part Young Romance, with some splashes of Our Army at War to keep you on your toes. I thoroughly enjoyed Mustang Sally's adventure and look forward to reading more of Healy's work.” —Rob Rogers, author of Devil’s Cape “Ian Healy’s Just Cause is solid, serious superhero action in the classic tradition, with tons of interesting characters, extremely well-crafted action scenes, and real depth. Highly recommended.” —Van Allen Plexico, author of The Sentinels “The best thing about Ian Healy's books is the accessibility of their worlds and characters. He welcomes us in and takes us for a fun and memorable ride, and unlike other superhero universes, we never feel like the understanding of an entire mythology is out of our grasp—or would take thousands of reading hours to accomplish.” —Allison M. Dickson, author of The Last Supper “Mr. Healy clearly loves superhero fiction. He has taken tried and true superhero tropes, made them his own, and crafted an excellent world, story, and characters. I highly recommend.” —Corey L. Bishop, Creative Commoners podcast “Ian Healy’s Just Cause is a great superhero book because it creates a world that is so close to our own we almost think that maybe these things did/are really happening, it’s just that we don’t live in the right city, and don’t maybe have that special brick touch pattern to get us to Diagon Alley.” —Jenn Zuko, Nerds in Babeland “It almost feels like you’re watching a movie instead of reading a book when the superheroes are battling the villains.” —Megan Bostic, author of Never Eighteen

Jay is having a pretty bad day at school. His popular cheerleader girlfriend just dumped him and a jock spilled soda all over his brand new Nikes. So when the God of Rabbits recruits him to save the world from an invasion of interstellar cockroaches, it seems like it might be a pretty cool gig. Maybe he could lose his new status as social outcast and win back his girl. Unfortunately, in the spectrum of god-like abilities, rabbits rank pretty low, and Jay received the ability to make snarky wisecracks, jump real high, and... that’s about all. With all other superheroes snapped up by the Cockroach God and his minions running rampant in the extradimensional Gods’ Home, Jay is left to the monumental task of rescuing civilization on his own, or so he thinks. The good news is the Bluebird Goddess has also found a Herald of her own, one of Jay's classmates who can now soar through the air with ease, but who also can’t shut up for two minutes. Can these two unlikely heroes rise to the challenge of defending humanity?

As a new president takes the White House, Just Cause returns to New York City for the first time in eight years, under the command of its newest leader: Mustang Sally. But not everyone is excited about the expansion of Just Cause. Senator Christine Goodwin, slighted by the team's leadership years before, has made it her mission to put all parahumans on a very short leash, while at the same time creating her own super-powered militia. With the media and America at large turning against Just Cause, Sally and her teammates must risk their lives and freedom to halt the Senator's plans, which threaten the futures of parahuman people worldwide.

Seventh-grade Superheroes! It's not easy being a twelve-year-old superhero, but the five kids of the Neighborhood Watch are doing the best they can. La Capitána: super-strong flier. Wheels: brilliant inventor. Hothead: catches on fire. Breezy: controls wind. Rascal: super-skateboarding. From their headquarters built into a repurposed Winnebago, they patrol the streets and alleys of their small hometown and dream of being Big Time Heroes like Mustang Sally and the rest of Just Cause. Instead, they're stuck rescuing cats stuck in trees . . . or they would be if their rivals didn't get there first. Three superpowered identical triplets, the Culture Club, are the darlings of local media. They never miss a photo opportunity or interview. They always seem to be in the right place at the right time. It just isn't fair. When La Capitána manages to stop a real supervillain, it changes everything for the Neighborhood Watch, and sets in motion a chain of events that will mean only one team can come out on top. Will the Culture Club win the day once more, or will the Neighborhood Watch prevail?

Newly emerged wings send Chloe’s life into a tailspin that lands her at the prestigious Hero Academy. But she’s haunted by visions of smoke and terror. Mysterious fires ignite around campus, and disturbing emails suggest a sinister organization is trying to recruit her. All evidence points to an approaching catastrophe. Chloe’s gut tells her she knows who’s behind it, but no one will listen. She must strike out on her own to find evidence—and courage she’s not sure she can muster—to prevent the worst massacre of superheroes the world has ever seen.

Almost Official For the kids of the Neighborhood Watch, the final weeks of middle school are interminable. In the fall they will get to attend the Hero Academy, studying to become Just Cause superheroes. Their plans get derailed when police officers gun down an unarmed black man. Annalisa, aka La Capitána, gets video of them trying to cover up the killing. The incident leads to protests, which inevitably turn violent as emotions run high. The kids of the Neighborhood Watch do their best to calm things down and keep people civil, but situations escalate and people get hurt. How can a group of fourteen-year-olds keep their hometown from dissolving into riots, especially when the protests attract the attention of a pair of supervillains who thrive on chaos?

"The enemy of my enemy . . ." Humanity has spent decades calling into the stars, seeking assurances that we are not alone in the galaxy. After many years of silence, someone has answered. The Hind came from afar, not to extend the hand of friendship, but the axe of conquest. The Hind drop an impenetrable force field over New York City, creating a cage where their shock troops will battle a handful of superheroes. They intend to conquer, but threaten annihilation if humanity doesn't surrender. In their desperate bid to save first their city and then the rest of the world, the heroes of Just Cause must do the unthinkable and ally with the greatest supervillain the world has ever seen: Harlan Washington, the Destroyer.

"I will show you fear in a handful of dust." ~T.S. Eliot When Just Cause hero Orb is murdered using a new kind of nanotechnology, Mustang Sally will stop at nothing to find and bring to justice his killer. Not even her longtime mentor Juice's dismissal from his position as team leader can distract Sally from her mission. A sensational new parahuman named Champion brings old-fashioned morals back to the world, training others to follow in his footsteps and heralding the onset of a new age of heroism. But Champion isn't all that he seems, and there is a sinister side to his organization. To find Orb's killer and uncover the motive for his murder, Sally must risk everything that makes her a hero. Champion is the sixth novel in the popular Just Cause Universe superhero fiction series.

Either you die a villain or live long enough to see yourself become the hero. Forty years ago, Harlan Washington began his one-man war against the superheroes of Just Cause. One day ago, he grudgingly allied with those heroes to defend the Earth from an alien invasion. One hour ago, he detonated a new kind of bomb to destroy the alien fleet, and was thrown through space and time. Now... He's lost in spacetime and dying, more alone than any human ever has been. He never expected to be rescued.

What if you became what you despised? And the hate group you once called home planned a violent terror attack, And only you could stop them? Fledgling superhero Zeke Shepherd must overcome all his fears to save lives. And time is running out.

Make a deal with the devil. A few years ago, Mustang Sally had to make a deal with her worst enemy in the entire world: Destroyer, the man who killed her father. He agreed to use his technology to reverse a nanotech plague and save the world. His price? A favor, to be collected from Sally at some point in the future. Give the devil his due. The time has come for Sally to fulfill her obligation. Destroyer needs her to help him save the life of his sister, who has been trapped in a comatose state for nearly her entire life. Sally will have to enter the woman's Dream-world, with help from her teammate Minerva and Destroyer's nephew March. Once there, she must complete an epic journey through the woman's mind and find the key to unlock her consciousness and release her from her coma. She quickly discovers things that can harm her in the Dream-world have dire consequences in the real world, and Sally must swallow her pride to fight for a life precious to the man who stole a life precious to her.

All Jackrabbit, Herald of the Rabbit God Leporidus, wanted to do was give his best friend Bunny a nice pre-wedding gift in the form of a trip to Japan. Naturally, Bunny is kidnapped by ninjas shortly after their arrival, forcing Jackrabbit to play superhero, detective, martial artist, video game enthusiast, street preacher, and more in his quest to rescue his friend. Along the way, he'll need help from Frog God Herald Kaeru no Uta, talking chimpanzee Chimp Braddock, the Bareknucks Brawler, a Buddhist monk teleporter, and a whole lot of charm and luck. All the while, he's in a country where he doesn't speak the language, doesn't know the customs, but he knows one thing is sure . . . Ninjas are real.

=On top of the world= As the world warms, civilian and commercial traffic through the Arctic increases. More people means a greater need for help, and Just Cause Arctic Circle is the superhero team assigned to find those who are lost and endangered due to accidents, environmental hazards, or their own foolhardiness. =A rescue gone awry= Rookie hero Maia, known as Devilfish, joins the team and barely has a chance to get to know her teammates before a powerful Arctic hurricane sends them out on an urgent rescue mission. They expect to find civilians trapped on a foundering ship. Instead, with the storm assaulting them like a juggernaut, they find something much, much worse. They're not well-equipped. They're not scientists. They're not warriors. But they're humanity's only hope.

When criminals are convicted, they go to jail. When they have parahuman abilities, they go to Deep Six, the most secure prison facility in the world. Six thousand feet underground, nobody has ever escaped from the maximum security facility. Until now. A parahuman terrorist called Misrule engineers a mass breakout, and it falls to a pair of prison guards to stop the world's most dangerous criminals from reaching freedom, and Just Cause won't be able to help them. Despite being overmatched and underpowered, the two guards must find a way to prevent the escapees from their ultimate goal.

The mystery of their lives. La Capitana and the other teens of the Neighborhood Watch have spent their entire lives wondering why they have parahuman powers but not the genetic marker known to grant them. When their former rivals, the Arnold triplets, come to La Capitana with a lead on the source of their powers, she jumps at the chance to join Brittany, Brianna, and Brooklyn. Truth and its consequences. Their investigation takes them across the country to New York City, where the four girls discover their abilities have a more sinister origin than they could have imagined. The question is, what will they do with their newfound knowledge, and can they triumph over the trouble that comes with it?

Trapped in the game. Vanitha is the world's greatest parahuman hacker, who can physically enter computer systems to control them from the inside. To relax, she's created a Hindu-themed multiplayer online role-playing-game called The Path. When a mystery presents itself, she goes to investigate the strange, new Malevolence. It kills her. She awakens inside the game as a new character, unable to use her parahuman powers to return to the real world. Nor can she access any of her administrative privileges. She can't even speak her own name. With no other options, she embarks upon a desperate quest to locate her body, a corpse run that may present her only chance to escape. All the while, the Malevolence is spreading like a cancer, rewriting and corrupting the game. It's a speedrun where failure will be lethal: get her body and her powers back before the Malevolence destroys the game and everything inside it-including her.

The werewolf without a pack . . . By night, Jackie Langdon is the outlaw vigilante White Fang, fighting crime in Reno . . . except when the moon is full, and she transforms into a savage werewolf with an indiscriminate bloodlust that can only be contained by locking her in a cage until sunrise. The vampire hunting her . . . For the last century, vampire Charlotte Pastor has slain werewolves for her secret society, The Midnight Collective. When assigned to shut down White Fang, she figures it's just business as usual. An uneasy alliance . . . A supernatural force arises to threaten werewolves, vampires, and humans alike. With no time to find other allies, Jackie and Charlotte must set aside their differences. If they can't learn to trust one another, the world will pay the price.

WHEN THE GOING GETS WEIRD, THE WEIRD TURN PRO Jackrabbit is stuck in a time loop, living the same day over and over again. Jackrabbit is stuck in a time loop, living the same day over and over again and it keeps resetting no matter what he does. Jackrabbit is stuck in a time loop, living the same day over and over again, and his only hope to free himself is to recover a mystical artifact called the Nick of Time. But first he's got to survive long enough to find it against obstacles like a demonically-possessed water heater, a vicious cat in a tree, and a team of supervillains headed by the dastardly Cheddarman. Jackrabbit must find a way through it all or he'll go back to the beginning and have to start over again and again and again. LIVE. DIE. LATHER. RINSE. REPEAT.

Everything has a price. It was supposed to be a simple job for The Ghost, a 300-year-old unkillable mercenary: interrupt a prisoner transfer and deliver the prisoner to those footing the bill. Jingshen had done jobs like it thousands of times. But this time, it all goes wrong. Trust no one. He was supposed to deliver Zoe, a young woman with a devastating power. But after centuries of doing dirty work for money, he decides it's time to regain his lost humanity. They go on the run, hunted by superpowered mercenaries, and The Ghost will need every shred of his experience to keep Zoe alive and safe from a life of medical experimentation.

From a single short story written in 2001 to a sprawling series of more than twenty books, the Just Cause Universe is a superheroic reflection of our times. Encompassing more than sixty years of history, these tales fill in the gaps, tell the side stories, and broaden the depth of the JCU. Although all these stories have appeared in previous publications, this is the first time they have been collected into a single volume. Arranged in roughly chronological order, these stories start with the earliest heroes from World War II and run the gamut through to recent history. Read how the inclusion of superheroes has changed some real-world events, while others have instead changed the heroes themselves.

Man. Lion. Warrior. Enigmatic superhero Lionheart was always cut from a different cloth than his teammates on Just Cause, so when he learns his old kung fu teacher, Master Chou, is dying, he doesn't hesitate to travel halfway around the world to pay his final respects to the man who saved his life and set him off upon his heroic journey. Upon arrival, he discovers his old master has been murdered, and quickly becomes embroiled in a battle for the honor of his master's Cherrywood School against one of the most dangerous heroin cartels in Hong Kong: the Five Deadly Serpents. His only allies are Master Chou's two children: Qiao, the seething warrior determined to avenge his father's death, and Lihua, the lovely and dangerous fighter who steals the lion's heart. They're outnumbered, outgunned, and the Five Deadly Serpents have numerous parahumans within their ranks. Lionheart, Qiao, and Lihua only have their training, their wits, and each other. Only time and blood will tell if the three warriors can save the Cherrywood School from the many-headed serpent of the Triad.

They thought he was dead. They were dead wrong. Fifteen years ago, the supervillain Misrule disappeared beneath the waves of the Mediterranean, never to be seen again. Until now. When he resurfaces in the Middle East and begins recruiting a team of mercenaries, it can only be to fulfill some new nefarious plan. Because it’s outside of the United States, Just Cause cannot officially get involved. Unofficially, retired hero Crackerjack comes back to head his own squad to hunt down Misrule. The supervillain escaped him once before, and Crackerjack is determined it won’t happen again.

SHE IS COMING Deep beneath the Earth’s crust, an ancient prisoner has been trapped for 66 million years. When a nuclear blast cracks open her cell, she fights to get free and exact terrible vengeance by obliterating all life. The world’s superheroes must unite in a desperate defense where failure cannot be an option, no matter the cost.

It's not working out. When Ava Zhang washes out of Just Cause Chicago, she figures her career as a superhero is over. Then she gets the opportunity to partner with experienced hero Detroit Steel, and the two of them work to halt the distribution of a dangerous new designer drug called Wool. And once again, everything goes wrong. Ava is accidentally dosed with Wool and her ensuing loss of control results in major damage to an urban farm, and sends a young farmer to the hospital with injuries she caused. When she goes to apologize, she discovers she's attracted to him. But he may be involved in the creation and distribution of Wool, and Ava has to set aside her feelings in order to track down the supply chain. When she discovers the truth no one could have predicted, it will cause even more death and tragedy if Ava can't find a way to stop it.