[1] Blackest Night involves Nekron, a personified force of death who reanimates deceased superheroes and seeks to eliminate all life and emotion from the universe.

Johns says[3] the prophecy has its origins in the story "Tygers" by Alan Moore, which touches on the rising up of the Guardians' enemies the Weaponers of Qward, Ranx the Sentient City, and the Children of the White Lobe,[4] the destruction of the Green Lanterns, and shows Hal Jordan, Sinestro, and Mogo dying.

Both Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver said that Blackest Night is the third part of a Green Lantern event trilogy that began with Rebirth and continued with "Sinestro Corps War".

[8][9][10][11][12] Green Lanterns Ash and Saarek find the Black Central Battery at a reportedly classified location within Sector 666.

[13] In Green Lantern Corps, a field of asteroids in an unknown region of space is depicted with the colors of the spectrum in the background.

The asteroids, which are apparently the remains of the planet Xanshi, are shattered and a large quantity of black power rings move through them.

[15] The Guardians of Oa observe the War of Light and realize that Ganthet and Sayd are correct, but are kept from intervening by Scar, who kills one and imprisons the rest.

Hal Jordan and the newly revived Flash investigate Bruce's grave and are attacked by Black Lantern Martian Manhunter.

The black rings are unable to revive those who are at peace, such as former Dove Don Hall, even as his partner Hawk and his brother Hank rise.

In Gotham, Hal Jordan and Barry Allen are confronted by several Black Lanterns, including Ronnie Raymond.

Flash leaves and gives all the superheroes in the US the key to defeat the Black Lanterns—merging lights with a Green Ring—and the Atom, Mera and the Justice Society of America battle many Lanterns together.

[19] The JLA, Wally West, the Teen Titans, and Bart Allen fight the Coast City Black Lanterns.

Nekron has Batman's corpse—later revealed to be a clone—and sends rings to Superman, Wonder Woman, Superboy, Green Arrow, Kid Flash, Donna Troy, Ice, and Animal Man, previously killed and revived into Black Lantern members by Nekron as Hal and Barry try to outrace their rings.

While they summon the seven Corps to Earth, Ganthet duplicates the seven colored rings present and deputizes non-Corps members Ganthet as Green, Barry Allen as Blue, Lex Luthor as Orange, Scarecrow as Yellow, Atom as Indigo, Mera as Red, and Wonder Woman as Violet.

[21] The Corps Leaders and deputies fight Nekron but cannot stop him, partly because Luthor is overwhelmed by the Orange light of avarice.

The rings bring only 12 Black Lanterns back to life: Maxwell Lord, Jade, Hawk, Captain Boomerang, Ronnie Raymond, Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Osiris, Eobard Thawne, and Deadman.

Star Sapphire and Saint Walker join their powers together to restore her, and Aquaman and Mera share a joyful reunion.

Larfleeze returns an unconscious Lex Luthor stripped of his ring, who briefly realizes that he has given something away, and demands that Sayd honors her debt to him.

[23] Following the end of Blackest Night, DC launched Brightest Day, a 25-issue bi-weekly comic book written by Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi.

[24][25] Also, Action Comics features a story arc in which Lex Luthor starts a universal quest to locate the power sources of the Black Lantern Corps after being infused with the Orange Light of Avarice.