Blackest Night

Blackest Night
source
Title	Blackest Night
Publisher	DC Comics
Date	2009
Writers	Geoff Johns
Pencillers	Ivan Reis
Inkers	Oclair Albert
Colorists	Dylan Todd
Editors	Will Dennis
Sortkey	Blackest Night

Blackest Night is a 2009 crossover comic book storyline published by DC Comics, written by Geoff Johns with art by Ivan Reis, that centers on a cosmic conflict involving the Corpse Brigade of reanimated heroes and villains. The narrative expands the mythos of the Green Lantern corps and integrates characters and concepts from Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman, and the broader Justice League universe. Combining elements of supernatural horror, science fiction, and superhero epic, the storyline had major ramifications across multiple DC Universe titles.

Publication history

Conceived during Johns's run on Green Lantern (vol. 4), the event followed earlier Green Lantern arcs such as "Sinestro Corps War" and built on mythic constructs introduced in Green Lantern: Rebirth and the Sinestro Corps saga. Announced in late 2008 by DC Comics editorial staff including Will Dennis and coordinated with tie-in writers across titles like Peter J. Tomasi and Geoff Johns' collaborators, the crossover ran through the summer of 2009 as an eight-issue core limited series supplemented by tie-ins across ongoing series: Green Lantern Corps (vol. 2), Batman, Green Arrow, Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors, Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps, and other monthly books. Collected editions were released in trade paperback and hardcover by DC Comics' trade divisions and later integrated into omnibus collections and digital platforms. The event catalyzed subsequent initiatives such as Brightest Day and influenced continuity across the DC Universe leading into larger company-wide projects.

Plot

The central plot follows the emergence of black power rings that reanimate deceased characters as members of a malevolent Black Lantern Corps led conceptually by Nekron, an embodiment associated with death from earlier Green Lantern lore. After the death and resurrection elements established during Green Lantern: Rebirth and confrontations with the Sinestro Corps, the black rings target fallen heroes and villains, including members of the Justice League and longstanding figures from Gotham City, Metropolis, and Coast City. The reanimated corps creates mass catastrophe, prompting the living Lantern corps — the Green Lantern Corps, the Sinestro Corps, the Red Lantern Corps, the Blue Lantern Corps, the Star Sapphire Corps, the Alpha Lanterns, and smaller groups like the Orange Lantern Corps — to confront the existential threat.

Key set pieces include battles at Coast City memorial sites, clashes above Oa, assaults on Earth landmarks, and metaphysical encounters involving the emotional spectrum entities such as Ion, Parallax, Saint Walker, and Fatality. The narrative culminates in a ritualistic attempt by the living to use the emotional spectrum's light to restore life and thwart Nekron's plan, resulting in significant casualties, revelations about life and death mechanics in the DC Universe, and the setting up of the follow-up series Brightest Day.

Main characters and factions

- The Green Lantern Corps: led in the saga by figures like Hal Jordan, John Stewart, Guy Gardner, and Kyle Rayner, who coordinate defense against the black rings. - The Black Lantern Corps: animated antagonists who resurrected heroes and villains such as Barry Allen, Damian Wayne, Martian Manhunter, Osiris, and others as agents of death. - The Sinestro Corps: led by Thaal Sinestro, whose yellow power rings and members like Sinestro and Lyssa Drak play pivotal roles. - The Red Lantern Corps: including Atrocitus and red-ring bearers, whose fury complicates alliances. - The Blue Lantern Corps: including Saint Walker and blue-ring bearers who provide hope-fueled support. - The Star Sapphires (Zamaron-related): representing love, with characters like Carol Ferris and Fatality involved. - Supporting figures: members of the Justice League such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, as well as secondary players from Gotham and Kahndaq-adjacent heroes.

Themes and analysis

The event interrogates themes of mortality, resurrection, and the commodification of emotion through the emotional spectrum construct embodied by the various Lantern corps. Johns uses death as both plot engine and symbolic device to explore legacy, grief, and the responsibilities of iconic characters like Hal Jordan and Barry Allen to their communities in Coast City and Central City. The narrative juxtaposes cosmic-scale stakes against intimate moments of mourning involving legacy families such as the Wayne family and the Allen family, while also interrogating the ethics of power via corps like the Sinestro Corps and Red Lantern Corps. The crossover format permits intertextual commentary on continuity, allowing resurrection to function as metafictional commentary on comic book death and retcon practices seen across DC Comics history.

Reception and legacy

Critics and fans offered mixed to positive responses: praise focused on Reis's artwork, the scope of Johns's plotting, and the expansion of Lantern mythos, while criticism targeted perceived overuse of resurrections and the impact on long-term continuity. Commercially, the series boosted sales across multiple DC Comics titles and generated media attention that helped propel tie-ins such as Brightest Day and later adaptations in animated projects and the DC Animated Universe-inspired productions. The storyline influenced character arcs for Hal Jordan, Carol Ferris, and members of the Justice League, and its concepts—particularly the emotional spectrum and corps interplay—became foundational for subsequent DC projects, events, and multimedia entries including animated films and references in video games tied to DC Universe Online and other licensed properties.

Category:DC Comics storylines