At his behest, there were no funeral services and no name designating his tomb. Instead Bruce's body was laid to rest in a small unmarked grave beside his parents in Gotham City. Standing before the unassuming headstone, Hal Jordan is reflecting on the dramatic changes in his life when he is greeted by the sudden crack of lightning and blur of red and gold that tells him that his friend Barry Allen has just arrived. Barry is spending his time picking up the slack in Gotham City when he decides to stop for a moment and remember the friend whom he used to spend nights with discussing forensics and criminal psychology.

Now neither Barry nor Hal are strangers to death. They've been on both sides of the grave. And while the circumstances behind their deaths may have been drastically different, both heroes are well aware that death isn't quite what it used to be and it certainly doesn't always mean forever. But that's not to say that death does not still take it's toll on the living. The fact that so many of their good friends have been taken from them lately weighs heavy on both men. Martian Manhunter - murdered by Libra. Batman - caught by Darkseid's Omega beams and reduced to a skeleton. And even though there had been rumors of his return during the Crisis, Arthur Curry (Aquaman) still remains captive in Davy Jones' locker.

True, not everyone gets a return trip back from the dead. Neither Hal's father or Barry's mother ever returned from beyond. But still, as Barry Allen puts it, "If there's an escape, you can bet Batman's already planning it."

And with that said, the two heroes go their separate ways never once aware that someone else has been watching their meeting the entire time. Lurching out of the darkness comes Black Hand. He thrusts his rotten arm into the dirt above Bruce's grave and retrieves a skull. Reciting the Black Lantern Oath, his eyes and the skull's sockets glow with the image of the Black Lantern corps. What other graves will he strike next? Firestorm? Sue Dibney? Is anyone safe?