In the reality-rending events of DARK NIGHTS: METAL (2017-2018), the Source Wall was been broken by the Justice League while trying to pull the Earth out of the Dark Multiverse. Now, all manor of previously-unseen forces have been released into the universe, forcing the League to change their approach…
Crossover: While the tie-ins aren’t essential to the main story contained in the four-issue mini-series, they do help explain the direction the DC Universe will take as it heads into the New Justice era.
Must-Reads: In the Fallout section, issues/story arcs marked with a ✔ are essential reading.
Spoilers: The issue descriptions and fallout section contain spoilers, so be warned!
Previous events that directly impact this story:
- JUSTICE LEAGUE VS SUICIDE SQUAD (2017) – Amanda Waller assembles the most powerful telepaths on Earth to oppose Maxwell Lord
- DARK NIGHTS: METAL (2017-2018) – The Dark Multiverse invades the prime reality, unleashing the Dark Knights
Want to keep it simple? Here’s the chronological reading order without story descriptions, or spoilers:
- Justice League: No Justice #1-3
- DC Nation (2018) #0 [3/3]
- Justice League: No Justice #4
- Green Arrow Annual (2018) #2
| Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| Justice League: No Justice #1 (pp.1-7) In space, Guy Gardner and the entirety of the Green Lanterns Corps confront Hal Jordan over the breaking of the Source Wall. On Earth, Brainiac defeats the Justice League, Titans, Teen Titans and the Suicide Squad… |
| Green Arrow Annual #2 (pp.2-16) Brainiac’s drones attack Seattle, while Green Arrow is busy fighting Brick. It appears Brainiac has also hacked the Queen Industries satellite. Under Oracle’s direction Arrow takes the Arrowplane to Happy Harbour when he struggles to get a signal from Black Canary… 1st appearance: Arrowplane (full) |
| Justice League: No Justice #1 (pp.8-11) After a clash with Superman, Brainiac tries to convince the Justice League to side with him… |
| Green Arrow Annual #2 (pp.17-24) Green Arrow arrives in Happy Harbour where he finds Black Canary and the Justice League of America unconscious, having been defeated by ‘super-powered’ Brainiac robots. Oracle realises it was Amanda Waller who hacked the satellite… |
| Justice League: No Justice #1 (pp.12-23) Brainiac needs the heroes’ help in opposing the Omega Titans – Entropy, Mystery, Wisdom and Wonder – who aim to consume parts of the universe. But they’re joined by ‘villains’ Deathstroke, Etrigan the Demon, Lobo, Lex Luthor, Sinestro and Starro. Back on Earth, Amanda Waller has kidnapped numerous superhuman telepaths – including Maxwell Lord, in an assembly dubbed Task Force XI – in an attempt to hack Brainiac… 1st appearance: Task Force XI (Brainwave/Henry King Jr, Jemm/Son of Saturn |
| Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| Green Arrow Annual #2 (pp.25-31) Green Arrow crashes the Arrowplane into the Arctic Circle and is almost killed by an avalanche… |
| Justice League: No Justice #1 (pp.24-30) Wisdom attacks Colu. If the heroes and villains won’t save Brainiac’s home planet, he’s ensured the Omega Titans will find and destroy Earth. An attack on Brainiac’s mind by Waller’ causes his head to explode before he can reveal how to defeat the Omega Titans! |
| Green Arrow Annual #2 (pp.32-33)/ Justice League: No Justice #2 (pp.1-2) The Green Arrow makes his way to the Fortress of Solitude where he finds Amanda Waller and demands to know the whereabouts of the Justice League… |
| Justice League: No Justice #2 (pp.3-9) As the Coluans flee the arriving Omega Titan Wisdom, they mistake the Justice League, Titans and others as allies of Brainiac. Lex Luthor tries to convince them to split into the teams Brainiac suggested, despite protests from Robin (Damian Wayne)… 1st appearance: Cosmic Trees, Tree of Wisdom |
| Green Arrow Annual #2 (pp.33-35) Waller tries to cut Green Arrow with an icicle, while admitting she took control of the Queen Industries satellite as part of a plan to stop Brainiac… |
| Green Arrow Annual #2 (p.35)/ Justice League: No Justice #2 (p.10) Waller challenges Green Arrow to shoot her… |
| Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| Justice League: No Justice #2 (pp.10-11) Waller subdues Green Arrow with an electric bolo and explains her actions. Having learned of the Source Wall’s existence, she gathered telepaths to read Brainiac’s mind and find out what else she didn’t know. Green Arrow agrees to work with her to find the dormant Cosmic Seed while the remaining heroes on Earth are in Brainiac’s stasis tubes… |
| DC Nation #0 [3/3] (pp.1-8) On Colu, the heroes divide into four teams and find the Tree of Entropy, Tree of Mystery, Tree of Wisdom and Tree of Wonder. Batman finds himself surrounded by armed mechanoids on Colu. Team Entropy save him and begin their prison break. Superman’s Team Mystery destroy a giant brain in the Life Nursery. Wonder Woman’s magic-based Team Wonder seek out the Tree of Mystery. And Cyborg’s Team Wisdom try to hack a planet – all prevent the Omega Titans from launching an attack Colu… |
| Justice League: No Justice #2 (pp.12-25) Team Mystery find tens of thousands of bottled worlds. Team Entropy discover Brainiac 2.0 beneath their tree. On Earth, Waller realises killing Brainiac has activated the Cosmic Seed… 1st appearance: Tree of Entropy, Tree of Mystery, Tree of Wonder New identity: Vril Dox II as Brainiac 2.0 |
| Justice League: No Justice #3 On Earth, Green Arrow rejects Amanda Waller’s decision to nuke the Seed. On Colu, Brainiac’s son, Vril Dox, explains his father’s intentions to use the Justice League as pawns to defeat the Omega Titans and conquer Colu, while Earth would be destroyed. The Tree of Entropy is activated. Wonder Woman reignites Tree of Wisdom with her Lasso of Truth and the belief of Team Wonder. Cyborg and Team Wisdom get the Tree of Wisdom running at the right level. Superman and Team Mystery look to return the stolen worlds – including Tamaran – to space. Starro sacrifices himself to delay the Wisdom Titan and buy his team some time. Wisdom starts to consume Colu. The planet’s destruction causes four trees to sprout on Earth. Green Arrow calls upon the Green Lantern Corps, but the Omega Titans are already in Earth’s orbit! |
| DC Nation #0 [3/3] (pp.9-10) Green Arrow contacts Supergirl just as she witnesses the arrival of the Omega Titans. Note: The continuity here doesn’t align with the main story. 1st appearance: Omega Titans (Entropy, Mystery, Wisdom, Wonder) |
| Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| Justice League: No Justice #4 (pp.1-27) The destruction of Colu and the reemergence of the stolen Earth has created a new Ghost Sector in space. Vril Dox takes the name Brainiac 2.0 and tries to blow up his father’s ship with the Leagues still on board. He arrives on Earth, takes out Supergirl and speeds the trees’ growth. The GLC and Team Entropy arrive on Earth and stop Brainiac 2.0 from killing Amanda Waller. She agrees to let Cyborg access her stolen Brainiac files. A new Cosmic Seed is created and charged by a member of each team, with Luthor giving in to Entropy to get it done. Hal Jordan and Green Arrow fire the Seed into the Entropy Titan who is then consumed by his brothers, ending the threat. Brainiac 2.0 teleports to safety. Luthor believes the universe is now tipped toward entropy rather than justice. The GLC continue to slow the Source Wall’s collapse. Batman recruits Black Lightning for a special job… 1st appearance: Ghost Sector |
| Green Arrow Annual #2 (pp.1) Green Arrow is entrusted with the mysterious Fail-Safe Box by Martian Manunter, though he doesn’t know what’s inside… |
| Justice League: No Justice #4 (p.27) / Green Arrow Annual #2 (p.36) Martian Manhunter explains to Green Arrow that the contents of the box would bring about the destruction of the Justice League if they ever got out of line. Only the two of them know about it… |
| Justice League: No Justice #4 (pp.26-27) Martian Manhunter is elected chairman of the new Justice League. The League and the Titans set up new bases. Wonder Woman asks for Zatanna’s help in finding out why the trees are still up. 1st appearance: Justice League Odyssey (unnamed), Fail-Safe Box |
| Green Arrow Annual #2 (pp.37-38) Reunited, Green Arrow and Black Canary head off on a road trip. Ollie decides not to tell Canary about the Fail-Safe Box. |
| Must Reads | Issue & Fallout | Event / Crossover |
| ✔ | Green Arrow #43 (2018) Green Arrow deals with the fallout of Amanda Waller hacking the Queen Industries Satellite. | HEROES IN CRISIS |
| ✔ | Titans Special #1 (2018) Teen Titans Special #1 (2018) New directions are set for the two Titans teams in the wake of the battle with the Omega Titans; Nightwing’s Titans become an extension of the Justice League, focused on the emergence of new metahumans; sullied by the League’s treatment of him, Robin forms his own Teen Titans. | NEW JUSTICE |
| ✔ | Justice League #1-8 (2018) The Hall of Justice is opened, giving superhumans a central base of operations; now believing the scales of the universe have tipped in the favour of balance of power in the universe has tipped towards entropy and that he fully understands the true nature of man, Lex Luthor forms the Legion of Doom – a band of villainous metahumans who will aid him in obtaining the means to rule all creation. | NEW JUSTICE |
| ✔ | Green Arrow #44-47 (2018-2019) The death of Roy Harper almost causes Green Arrow to use the Fail-Safe Box against the Justice League. | HEROES IN CRISIS |
| ✔ | Justice League Dark #1-3 (2018) Wonder Woman leads a new magical team of Leaguers when she forms a new Justice League Dark with Zatanna in an effort to fix magic; they start by investigating why the Cosmic Trees are still on Earth. | NEW JUSTICE |
| ✔ | Justice League Odyssey #1 (2018-2019) A new League – dubbed Justice League Odyssey, made up of members of the Justice league and Titans – explore the new Ghost Sector in Brainiac’s Skull Ship. | NEW JUSTICE |
| Justice League #10 (2018) Batman grows a small clone of Starro – dubbed ‘Jarro’ – to assist the Justice League. | NEW JUSTICE | |
| ✔ | Justice League #12 (2019) Brainiac is restored by Lex Luthor who seeks his aid in obtaining the Totality. | NEW JUSTICE |
| ✔ | Justice League Annual #1 (2019) Thanks to Brainiac, the Source Wall is fully destroyed, allowing Perpetua to escape. | NEW JUSTICE |
| ✔ | Green Arrow #50 (2019) Green Arrow abandons the Fail-Safe Box, believing it’s empty. | |
| Superman #15 (2019) Supergirl #33 (2019) The son of Brainiac is next seen during the formation of the United Planets; by the time Vril Dox II meets Supergirl, his contempt for the heroes of Earth appears to have softened. | THE HOUSE OF EL | |
| Batman and the Outsiders #1 (2019) Black Lightning leads the new line-up of the Outsiders under Batman’s overall direction. | ||
| ✔ | Justice League #29 (2019) It’s revealed that Starro is alive and was recovered from the battle with the Omega Titans by the Legion of Doom; the Legion are using Jarro to spy on the Justice League. | YEAR OF THE VILLAIN |
| ✔ | Justice League #39 (2020) The clash between the Justice league and Legion of Doom comes to a head with the Quintessence offering the League one last shot at stopping Perpetua. | YEAR OF THE VILLAIN |
| ✔ | Dark Nights: Death Metal #1-7 (2020-2021) With the entire multiverse under threat, the Justice League make their last stand against Perpetua, with Lex Luthor taking the opportunity to redeem himself; the Source Wall is replaced by the Totality. | DARK NIGHTS: DEATH METAL |
| Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 (2023) The mysterious Council of Light gain Amanda Waller’s allegiance. | DARK CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS | |
| ✔ | Superman: House of Brainiac Special #1 (2024) Action Comics #1065 (2021) Amanda Waller learns she’s inadvertently allied with Brainiac when the Council of Light are revealed to be made up of a number of multiversal Brainiacs; the son of Brainiac is revealed to have joined the inter-galactic police force LEGION (Licensed Extra-Governmental Interstellar Operatives Network). | DAWN OF DC HOUSE OF BRAINIAC |
| ✔ | Green Arrow #15-16 (2024) The fate of the Fail-Safe Box is finally revealed; Green Arrow severs his ties with Amanda Waller. | ABSOLUTE POWER |
| Collected Edition Title | Collects… |
| Green Arrow vol. 7: Citizen’s Arrest | Green Arrow #43-47 Green Arrow Annual #2 |
| Justice League: No Justice | DC Nation #0 [part] Justice League: No Justice #1-4 |
| Collected Edition Title | Includes… |
| Justice League by Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV Omnibus Vol. 1 | DC Nation #0 [part] Justice League: No Justice #1-4 |
Reading Order © Omniverse Comics Guide 2026
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