NewBlackest Night Crossover Reading Order

Blackest Night

Basically, the last crossover that Geoff Johns spear-headed that was actually worth reading. A fantastic culmination of long-brewing stories in his Green Lantern. Led directly into Brightest Day, a confused mess that is now, thankfully, out of continuity. Fits into the continuity here.

Prologues
Blackest Night: Tales Of The Corps #1 [1] Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps
Blackest Night: Tales Of The Corps #2 [1] Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps
Blackest Night: Tales Of The Corps #3 [1] Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps
Titans #15 uncollected
Green Lantern #43 Green Lantern: Blackest Night
Absolute Blackest Night
The Blackest Night
Blackest Night #0 Blackest Night
Absolute Blackest Night
Blackest Night #1 [2] Blackest Night
Absolute Blackest Night
Green Lantern Corps #39 [3] Green Lantern Corps: Blackest Night
Green Lantern #44 [2] Green Lantern: Blackest Night
Absolute Blackest Night
Solomon Grundy #7 [4] Solomon Grundy
Blackest Night #2 [2] Blackest Night
Absolute Blackest Night
Blackest Night: Batman #1 Blackest Night: Black Lantern Corps, vol.1
Blackest Night: Superman #1 [2] Blackest Night: Black Lantern Corps, vol.1
Blackest Night: Titans #1 Blackest Night: Black Lantern Corps, vol.1
Green Lantern #45 [2] Green Lantern: Blackest Night
Absolute Blackest Night
Green Lantern Corps #40 [2] Green Lantern Corps: Blackest Night
Blackest Night: Batman #2 [2] Blackest Night: Black Lantern Corps, vol.1
Blackest Night #3 [2] Blackest Night
Absolute Blackest Night
Adventure Comics #4 Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps
Adventure Comics #5 Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps
Justice League of America #38 Justice League of America: Team History
Blackest Night: Superman #2 Blackest Night: Black Lantern Corps, vol.1
Blackest Night: Titans #2 [2] Blackest Night: Black Lantern Corps, vol.1
Green Lantern #46 [2] Green Lantern: Blackest Night
Absolute Blackest Night
Blackest Night: Batman #3 Blackest Night: Black Lantern Corps, vol.1
The Phantom Stranger #42 [5] Blackest Night: Rise of the Black Lanterns
Catwoman #83 [5] Blackest Night: Rise of the Black Lanterns
Green Lantern Corps #41 [2] Green Lantern Corps: Blackest Night
Blackest Night: Superman #3 [2] Blackest Night: Black Lantern Corps, vol.1
Suicide Squad #67 [2] Secret Six, vol.3: Danse Macabre
Secret Six #17 [6] Secret Six, vol.3: Danse Macabre
Secret Six #18 Secret Six, vol.3: Danse Macabre
Blackest Night: Titans #3 Blackest Night: Black Lantern Corps, vol.1
Outsiders #23 Outsiders: The Hunt
Outsiders #24 Outsiders: The Hunt
Outsiders #25 Outsiders: The Hunt
Superman/Batman #66 [5] Superman/Batman: Night & Day
Superman/Batman #67 Superman/Batman: Night & Day
R.E.B.E.L.S. #10 R.E.B.E.L.S., vol.3: The Son and the Stars
Green Lantern #47 Green Lantern: Blackest Night
Absolute Blackest Night
R.E.B.E.L.S. #11 [7] R.E.B.E.L.S., vol.3: The Son and the Stars
R.E.B.E.L.S. #12 R.E.B.E.L.S., vol.3: The Son and the Stars
Blackest Night #4 [2, 8] Blackest Night
Absolute Blackest Night
Blackest Night: Flash #1 [8] Blackest Night: Black Lantern Corps, vol.2
Green Lantern Corps #42 [2] Green Lantern Corps: Blackest Night
Justice League of America #39 Justice League of America: Team History
Justice League of America #40 Justice League of America: Team History
Doom Patrol #4 [8] Doom Patrol, vol.1: We Who Are About to Die
Doom Patrol #5 Doom Patrol, vol.1: We Who Are About to Die
Booster Gold #26 [8] Booster Gold: The Tomorrow Memory
Booster Gold #27 Booster Gold: The Tomorrow Memory
Teen Titans #77 Teen Titans: Child’s Play
Teen Titans #78 Teen Titans: Child’s Play
Weird Western Tales #71 Blackest Night: Rise of the Black Lanterns
Starman #81 Blackest Night: Rise of the Black Lanterns
The Starman Omnibus, vol.6
The Power of Shazam #48 Blackest Night: Rise of the Black Lanterns
The Question #37 [8] Blackest Night: Rise of the Black Lanterns
Blackest Night: JSA #1 Blackest Night: Black Lantern Corps, vol.2
Blackest Night: Wonder Woman #1 Blackest Night: Black Lantern Corps, vol.2
Green Lantern #48 Green Lantern: Blackest Night
Absolute Blackest Night
Blackest Night #5 Blackest Night
Absolute Blackest Night
Green Lantern Corps #43 Green Lantern Corps: Blackest Night
Green Lantern #49 Green Lantern: Blackest Night
Blackest Night #6 Blackest Night
Absolute Blackest Night
Green Arrow #30 Blackest Night: Rise of the Black Lanterns
Adventure Comics #7 Blackest Night: Rise of the Black Lanterns
Blackest Night: Wonder Woman #2 Blackest Night: Black Lantern Corps, vol.2
Blackest Night: Wonder Woman #3 Blackest Night: Black Lantern Corps, vol.2
Blackest Night: Flash #2 Blackest Night: Black Lantern Corps, vol.2
Green Lantern Corps #44 Green Lantern Corps: Blackest Night
Blackest Night: Flash #3 Blackest Night: Black Lantern Corps, vol.2
Green Lantern #50 Green Lantern: Blackest Night
Absolute Blackest Night
Blackest Night: JSA #2 Blackest Night: Black Lantern Corps, vol.2
Blackest Night: JSA #3 Blackest Night: Black Lantern Corps, vol.2
The Atom and Hawkman #46 Blackest Night: Rise of the Black Lanterns
Green Lantern #51 Green Lantern: Blackest Night
Absolute Blackest Night
Green Lantern Corps #45 Green Lantern Corps: Blackest Night
Blackest Night #7 Blackest Night
Absolute Blackest Night
Green Lantern Corps #46 Green Lantern Corps: Blackest Night
Green Lantern #52 Green Lantern: Blackest Night
Absolute Blackest Night
Blackest Night #8 Blackest Night
Absolute Blackest Night
Aftermath
Green Lantern Corps #47 Green Lantern Corps: Blackest Night
Untold Tales of Blackest Night #1 [9] Absolute Blackest Night

Notes:

  1. Each of the stories in these issues serves as an introduction to the members of the various Lantern Corps who will play important roles in the crossover.
  2. Placed based on the “Power Levels” specified.
  3. Parallels the immediately preceding issue of Blackest Night.
  4. Utterly inessential – the crossover literally consists of the last two pages of the volume – and included only for completeness’ sake. But a decent read in its own right.
  5. Must take place after Blackest Night: Batman.
  6. Follows on directly from Suicide Squad.
  7. Must occur after Green Lantern #47.
  8. Barry Allen sends a message in Blackest Night #4. and it propagates across the story.
  9. This issue contains a range of stories and deleted scenes from various points in the crossover and is best read after everything else.
Bookmark the permalink.

5 Comments

  1. Any idea the best order to read the following Preludes? I haven’t started the story yet, and I won’t until I get several of the issues not collected in the trades and the preludes that I still lack.

    Thank you for the list you’ve compiled for us so far.

    Green Lantern Corps #33
    Green Lantern Corps #34
    Green Lantern Corps #35
    Green Lantern Corps #36
    Green Lantern Corps #37
    Green Lantern Corps #38
    Green Lantern #39
    Green Lantern #40
    Green Lantern #41
    Green Lantern #42
    Green Lantern #43

    • I would say read Green Lantern #39-42 first, as they are a single complete storyline, followed by the Green Lantern Corps issues, and only then Green Lantern #43 (which is part of the main crossover and listed here on the page for it). This order also neatly breaks along collection lines, which also makes things simpler.

      • Thank you very much for your response. I overlooked GL 43 above, since it’s included in the trade I didn’t pay much attention. I had already picked up the single issue, but I do like the cover art, so no loss there. I’m working on gathering this series and Flashpoint at the moment. From what little I’ve looked into Flashpoint, it appears most, if not all of the issues, are collected in trades. I’m not as interested in the Road to Flashpoint like I am the Blackest Night Preludes. As I get further into that series, I’m sure I’ll find out for sure. Thank you again.

  2. Ben Willie Bohannon III

    Green arrow #30 which version is that. All the years I’m looking through doesn’t have the blackest night version. Help me please.

    • It actually continues the numbering from the Green Arrow/Black Canary title that was running for the previous couple of years – there’s only three issues before it gets relaunched after Blackest Night wraps up. They’re all reprinted in Green Arrow/Black Canary, vol.6: Five Stages.

Leave a Reply