The Justice League are dead. The Crime Syndicate of Earth-3 – the League’s depraved alternate universe counterparts – now rule world! And the sheer amount of evil emanating across the world is manifesting as an unstoppable Blight which causes John Constantine to gather the remaining magic using heroes of Earth to join forces and oppose it. But how do you stop the unstoppable?
This event is a strand of the Justice League’s colossal FOREVER EVIL (2013-2014) event, but can be read separately.
Major Crossover: A strand of the overarching ‘Forever Evil’ event, ‘Blight’ can be read separately from that colossal crossover if you’d prefer to follow the adventures of the Justice League Dark, the Phantom Stranger, Swamp Thing or Pandora.
Must-Reads: Issues in bold in the Core List or marked with a ✔ in the Full Reading Order are must-read stories from this event; in the Fallout section, issues marked with a ✔ are the stories that are most heavily impacted by this event; the Nightwing issues aren’t essential if you just want to follow Batman’s story and vice versa.
Spoilers: The issue descriptions and fallout section contain spoilers, so be warned!
Previous events that directly impact this story:
- WAR FOR THE BOOKS OF MAGIC (2012-2013) – Swamp Thing allies with the JLD
- TRINITY WAR (2013) – Three Justice Leagues face off over Pandora’s Box
- FOREVER EVIL (2013-2014) – The Crime Syndicate take over the world
Want to keep it simple? Here’s the chronological reading order without story descriptions, or spoilers:
- Trinity of Sin: Pandora #4 (tie-in)
- Trinity of Sin: The Phantom Stranger #12 (tie-in)
- Justice League Dark #24
- Trinity of Sin: The Phantom Stranger #13 (tie-in)
- Justice League Dark #25
- Trinity of Sin: Pandora #5 (tie-in)
- Trinity of Sin: The Phantom Stranger #14
- Constantine #9
- Trinity of Sin: Pandora #6
- Justice League Dark #26
- Trinity of Sin: The Phantom Stranger #15
- Constantine #10
- Trinity of Sin: Pandora #7
- Justice League Dark #27
- Trinity of Sin: The Phantom Stranger #16
- Constantine #11
- Trinity of Sin: Pandora #8
- Justice League Dark #28
- Trinity of Sin: The Phantom Stranger #17
- Constantine #12
- Trinity of Sin: Pandora #9
- Justice League Dark #29
| Must Read | Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| Trinity of Sin: Pandora #4 (tie-in) Pandora’s Box has been opened (as of TRINITY WAR, 2013), and Pandora herself has been cast to the barren carcass of Earth 3 where she witnesses the death of the Martian. Now the Box lies on pieces. Pandora returns to Prime Earth where she asks Marcus Severin to repair the Box. She then turns to Vandal Savage to help her find the Outsider. He hands over his Secret Society coin which she uses to locate the Outsider inside the downed Justice League Watchtower – now home to the Crime Syndicate of Earth 3. Also see FOREVER EVIL [There’s a sizeable continuity error here – just assume Pandora is attending a second meeting of villains] | |
| Trinity of Sin: Pandora #5 (pp.1-11) (tie-in) The Outsider reveals to Pandora that she didn’t bring evil to the world – it was already there. And there’s no way to open the broken Box. She teleports away before the Syndicate’s Grid can catch her… Also see FOREVER EVIL | |
| ✔ | Justice League Dark #24 A battered John Constantine wakes up the House of Mystery with no memory of how he survived the encounter with the Crime Syndicate. He seems to find himself in random places all over the world (or is he still in the House?), observed by malevolent spirits sowing negativity among humanity. They come together, forming a smoky serpentine Blight. He wakes to find himself taunted by the Justice League Dark and Zatanna, but it’s all an illusion cast by his old flame, the Nightmare Nurse. She’s here to help Constantine and she’s brought her own Swamp Thing! Also see FOREVER EVIL 1st appearance: Blight |
| ✔ | Justice League Dark #25 (pp.1-11) The real Swamp Thing sprouts from the duplicate and takes his anger out on John Constantine and Nightmare Nurse. With that behind them, they join forces to tackle the growing Blight – the evil creature living in humanity’s collective unconscious… Also see FOREVER EVIL |
| Must Read | Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| Trinity of Sin: The Phantom Stranger #12 (tie-in) Despite being erased from existence by Zauriel (during TRINITY WAR, 2013), the Phantom Stranger materialises back on Earth in his old home. God – in the form of a dog – has rewarded the Stranger’s sacrifice by giving him another chance. Elsewhere, Chris Esperanza still struggles to adjust after being resurrected by the Phantom Stranger. Chris teleports to the Stranger just as he’s looking to confront Doctor Thirteen over running the Spear of Destiny into him. But Thirteen has committed suicide. Chris brings Thirteen back to life and reveals the Question was the one who forced Thirteen’s hand. The Stranger returns home to find the Sin-Eater has torched his house! Also see FOREVER EVIL | |
| Trinity of Sin: Phantom Stranger #13 (pp.1-3) (tie-in) The Sin-Eater departs, leaving the Phantom Stranger in his burning home… Also see FOREVER EVIL | |
| ✔ | Justice League Dark #25 (pp.12-21) In the depths of the ocean, Earth 3’s Sea King returns to life. John Constantine, Nightmare Nurse and Swamp Thing confront the Blight, but it proves to be too powerful and casts them out if his plane. Elsewhere, low-level magician Cassandra Craft is kidnapped by demons… Also see FOREVER EVIL 1st appearance: Cassandra Craft |
| Trinity of Sin: The Phantom Stranger #13 (pp.4-19) (tie-in) The Phantom Stranger erases the memory of the Stark family from their neighbours. Zauriel comes to apologise for erasing the Stranger from existence and to remind him to give the piece of Doctor Light’s soul to his family, as promised. The Phantom Stranger confronts the Question over killing him, which becomes a violent confrontation. The Spear of Destiny teleports them to Israel as they fight. Zauriel puts an end to it and takes the Spear. But the Stranger is teleported away against his will… Also see FOREVER EVIL | |
| Trinity of Sin: Pandora #5 (pp.12-17) (tie-in) Pandora finds herself in another dimension, then materialises back in time where her past-self thinks she’s responsible for the death of everyone in her village… Also see FOREVER EVIL | |
| ✔ | Justice League Dark #25 (pp.22-23) After 12 hours of dark casting, John Constantine summons and chains Pandora, the Question and the Phantom Stranger. Also see FOREVER EVIL |
| Trinity of Sin: Pandora #5 (pp.18-20) Trinity of Sin: Phantom Stranger #13 (pp.19-20) The Phantom Stranger, the Question and Pandora – the Trinity of Sin – find themselves in the Rock of Eternity in chains. Swamp Thing, John Constantine and Nightmare Nurse sit before them, asking to them help them kill all evil! Also see FOREVER EVIL | |
| ✔ | Trinity of Sin: The Phantom Stranger #14 Pandora and the Question fight back against John Constantine, Nightmare Nurse and Swamp Thing until the Phantom Stranger reveals they’re really in the House of Mystery. Question teleports away, but Pandora agrees to help fight Blight. She convinces the Stranger to join this new Justice League Dark, too. Elsewhere, the Blue Devil is taken by demons. And Blight chooses Chris Esperanza to be his vessel. He uses his power to rip Constantine and the others from the House of Mystery! Also see FOREVER EVIL |
| Must Read | Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| ✔ | Constantine #9 The new Justice League Dark regain consciousness in a blacked-out New York City. Blight’s merge with Chris Esperanza has allowed him to cross over to the physical plane along with the mutated Seven Deadly Sins. The JLD nearly contain Blight, but he escapes and goes straight for Constantine. Elsewhere, someone has imprisoned numerous magic-users on behalf of the Crime Syndicate! Also see FOREVER EVIL |
| ✔ | Trinity of Sin: Pandora #6 Pandora wards off Blight and the team fight to save New York’s citizens from Blight’s flame. Blight attacks the JLD, decapitating Constantine and slaughtering the others. The JLD’s bodies materialise in Doctor Thirteen’s house. Also see FOREVER EVIL |
| ✔ | Justice League Dark #26 John Constantine sees a vision of Deadman before the Justice League Dark wake up thanks to Nightmare Nurse’s Rod of Asclepius. Now that Blight thinks they’re dead, the JLD – minus the Phantom Stranger – head to the Pacific to seek out Deadman. Instead, they find the body of the Crime Syndicate’s Sea King which is now home to Deadman who leaped into Sea King’s body to avoid detection. The team magically free the Sea King’s body of the last remnants of the original owner’s influence (and that of the spirits of Nan Madol) and give Deadman full control. Elsewhere, the Phantom Stranger has handed Doctor Thirteen over to Blight! Also see FOREVER EVIL |
| ✔ | Trinity of Sin: The Phantom Stranger #15 Under God’s orders, the Phantom Stranger has surrendered himself and Doctor Thirteen to Blight, who has also taken Chris Esperanza’s family prisoner. The Stranger goes against God’s orders to free the Esperanzas. Chris explains how he offered to partner with Blight. The Phantom Stranger escapes and returns to the Justice League Dark, suggesting they confront God over why he doesn’t help. Elsewhere, Deadman seeks to use his Sea King body to help find the original JLD. In a hidden location, Ultraman oversees the project run by Nick Necro and Felix Faust which includes the kidnaping of magic users, including Mindwarp who doesn’t survive their experiments. Also see FOREVER EVIL |
| ✔ | Constantine #10 The Spectre and Zauriel block the path of the Phantom Stranger and the Justice League Dark until God (in dog form) allows them through. Constantine angrily confronts God over his refusal to save Earth from Blight and the Crime Syndicate, then tricks Zauriel into pursuing him back to Earth. God gave each member a different insight, now Zauriel joins their fight. Also see FOREVER EVIL |
| ✔ | Trinity of Sin: Pandora #7 Pandora leads the charge against Blight on the George Washington Bridge and accesses incredible power inspired by God’s question to her. She relieves Chris of the Blight armour, but he reclaims it. So she drags Blight/Chris down into the water below! Also see FOREVER EVIL |
| ✔ | Justice League Dark #27 Pandora, Zauriel and the Phantom Stranger enter the collective consciousness in search of the human at Blight’s heart. Nightmare Nurse and Constantine use the Blackmare Curse to transform themselves into evil creatures, attacking Blight’s physical form with Deadman/Sea King and Swamp Thing. Zauriel imbues Chris Esperanza with the will of God, transforming him into the Spirit of Redemption. Now Constantine knows where Zatanna and the others are! Also see FOREVER EVIL |
| ✔ | Trinity of Sin: The Phantom Stranger #16 John Constantine knows where Zatanna is, but has been driven mad by the Blackmare Curse. Nightmare Nurse and Phantom Stranger almost sleep together, but instead they step into Constantine’s mind to cure his madness. Sane again, Constantine reveals Zatanna is in Nanda Parbat (where the JLD recently faced Nick Necro & Felix Faust during WAR FOR THE BOOKS OF MAGIC, 2012). The Stranger transports the team there. Still in the Sea King’s body, Deadman fools Necro & Faust and is allowed to enter Nanda Parbat. The rest of the JLD sneak in under the cover of magic. Also see FOREVER EVIL |
| Must Read | Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| ✔ | Constantine #11 The Justice League Dark immediately spring a trap that separates John Constantine and Nightmare Nurse from the others. Constantine convinces the Nurse to focus on finding Zatanna, so the duo press on and locate Project Thaumaton – the gigantic device Blue Devil, Cassandra Craft, Black Orchid, Enchantress, Papa Midnite, Sargon the Sorceress, Shade the Changing Man and Blackbriar Thorn are restrained to. The Crime Syndicate are using them to power a weapon to destroy whatever’s left Earth 3 desolate. Constantine forces ‘Nightmare Nurse’ to unmask… revealing Nick Necro. John gets the upper hand, but Felix Faust knocks him out. Now the new JLD are all prisoners in this torture machine! Also see FOREVER EVIL |
| ✔ | Trinity of Sin: Pandora #8 Nick Necro discovered Deadman’s ruse and activated the magical security at Nanda Parbat. The JLD surrendered. Necro & Faust use Nightmare Nurse to test the Thaumaton, burning out her body. Next he tests it on Pandora who bursts free in her armoured form. She teleports away with the Phantom Stranger and the blind psychic Cassandra Craft. Also see FOREVER EVIL |
| ✔ | Justice League Dark #28 Faust and Necro tap into Nanda Parbat’s pure magic, using the angel Zauriel as a conduit. Felix Faust prevents Zauriel’s escape by ripping off his wings. Constantine & Zatanna communicate via the lower astral plane – the Inbetween – but she seems unimpressed by his need to reunite with her. Nick Necro emerges on the plane and tries to recruit them, but they reject him. When he chooses to torture them, Faust tries to stop him in order to avoid the Syndicate’s wrath. In New York, the Phantom Stranger is about to recruit Chris Esperanza, but finds he’s under the protection of the Spectre! Also see FOREVER EVIL |
| ✔ | Trinity of Sin: The Phantom Stranger #17 Chris Esperanza – now the Spirit of Redemption – arrives, carrying an aspect of God in his dog form and ending the dispute between the Spectre and the Phantom Stranger. Chris is unable to help while he adjusts to his new role. Instead he grants the Stranger and Craft love. The Stranger teleports to Las Vegas with Cassandra and Pandora, looking to bargain with the Sons of Trigon. Though it briefly descends into violence, the Sons agree to help the Phantom Stranger when they learn of his true suffering. Also see FOREVER EVIL |
| ✔ | Constantine #12 Nick Necro has been divining the future. And it’s not good. He gives Constantine the means to escape the Thaumaton and takes control of Deadman and Swamp Thing, using them to attack him. Constantine hurls his magic blade into Necro’s chest, but falls through a portal into Hell. Now the Swamp Thing is free of Necro’s control… and he’s angry! Also see FOREVER EVIL |
| ✔ | Trinity of Sin: Pandora #9 Approaching Nanda Parbat, Pandora senses the deaths of Nick Necro and John Constantine. Deadman is free from the Sea King’s body. The Swamp Thing’s rage grows to enormous proportions, threatening Nanda Parbat. The desperate Felix Faust uses a device to pull the secrets of the captured magicians into his mind, all at once. He even learns the truth about Pandora – she’s not human or from this universe. The Thaumaton blasts the gigantic Swamp Thing. Zauriel saves Constantine from Hell. A second John Constantine knocks Faust out and decides to tap into all of the available magic himself! Also see FOREVER EVIL |
| ✔ | Justice League Dark #29 The powerful Constantine selflessly returns the stolen magic to the other sorcerers and dies. Pandora explains that the second ‘Constantine’ was one of John’s inner demons transformed into human form by his love for Zatanna. The Sons of Trigon turn on the gathered sorcerers. John Constantine teleports away to the House of Mystery, leaving Zatanna in charge and his former-teammates in great danger. The Spirits of Nanda Parbat transport the entire compound to another dimension. Zatanna teleports everyone back before Nanda Parbat explodes. Zatanna teleports to the House of Mystery and throws John Constantine out! Also see FOREVER EVIL |
See how this story fits into the wider DC Universe continuity with these reading orders:
- JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK, 2011-2016 – The New 52 Era
| Must Reads | Issue & Fallout | Event / Crossover |
| ✔ | Forever Evil #7 (2014) The Crime Syndicate are defeated and the Justice League return. | FOREVER EVIL |
| ✔ | Justice League Dark #30 (2014) Zatanna takes the reins of the Justice League Dark; Black Orchid and Nightmare Nurse leave the team. | |
| Futures End – Pandora: Trinity of Sin #1 (2014) The Seven Deadly Sins are revealed to be aspects of Pandora herself. | FUTURES END | |
| ✔ | Trinity of Sin #1-6 (2014-2015) Pandora recalls her true identity; Pandora, Question and the Phantom Stranger are absorbed into the Redemption Box and decide to combine their abilities to save the world from becoming the Dark Earth; the Question removes the Phantom Stranger and Pandora’s sins and, withering away, vanishes from reality. | |
| ✔ | DC Universe: Rebirth #1 (2016) Pandora is killed by an unknown entity (later revealed to be Doctor Manhattan); Pandora accuses the entity of being the one who actually committed the sins which she’d been blamed for. | DC REBIRTH |
| ✔ | Midnighter and Apollo #1 (2016) Felix Faust is revealed to be alive when he’s seen turning down a chance to kill Midnighter and Apollo. | |
| Action Comics #1005 (2019) Vic Sage resumes his role as the vigilante Question. | EVENT LEVIATHAN |
| Collected Edition Title | Collects… |
| Forever Evil: Blight | Constantine #9-12 Justice League Dark #24-29 Trinity of Sin: Pandora #6-9 Trinity of Sin: The Phantom Stranger #14-17 |
| Constantine vol.2: Blight | Constantine #7-12 |
| Justice League Dark vol.4: The Rebirth of Evil | Justice League Dark #22-29 |
| Trinity of Sin: Pandora vol.1: The Curse | Free Comic Book Day – The New 52 Special Edition #1 Justice League #0, 6 Trinity of Sin: Pandora #1-5 |
| Trinity of Sin: Pandora vol.1: Choices | Trinity of Sin: Pandora #6-14 Trinity of Sin: Pandora – Futures End #1 |
| Trinity of Sin: The Phantom Stranger vol.3: The Crack in Creation | Trinity of Sin: The Phantom Stranger #12-22 Trinity of Sin: The Phantom Stranger – Futures End #1 |
| Collected Edition Title | Includes… |
Justice League Dark: The New 52 CompendiumJustice League Dark: The New 52 Omnibus | Constantine #9-12 Justice League Dark #24-29 Trinity of Sin: Pandora #6-9 Trinity of Sin: The Phantom Stranger #14-17 |
Reading Order © Omniverse Comics Guide 2026
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