Suicide Squad: Dream Team

Suicide Squad: Miniseries

by Nicole Maines, Eddy Barrows (illustrator), Eber Ferreira (Illustrator)

Amanda Waller is expanding Task Force X...and she's about to create her Dream team.

Spinning out of the pages of Action Comics #1060 and Titans: Beast World World Tour Metropolis #1, Amanda Waller is recruiting for Task Force X.

She knows she needs the best of the best—heroes, villains...it doesn't really matter. The first person she's determined to recruit? Nia Nal, a.k.a Dreamer.

Who else will Waller pursue? And what is she planning for once she's assembled her DREAM TEAM?

Find out in Suicide Squad: Dream Team written by Nicole Maines, who played Dreamer in the Supergirl TV show!

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Graphic Novels Comics, Young Adult, LGBT, Superheroes

136 pages, Paperback

First published December 10, 2024

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.4 stars

[TJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 stars until the ending, which left me confused and unsatisfied. 4/5 stars.

[Roman Zarichnyi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Коли я вирішив взятися за «Загін Самогубців: Команда мрії», то, чесно кажучи, очікувань майже не мав. Головна причина, чому цей комікс потрапив до мене в руки — це цікавість щодо передісторії події «Абсолютна влада». Хотілося зрозуміти, як саме Аманда Воллер вибудувала свою владу. Але чи виправдав комікс себе як самостійна історія? Давайте розбиратися.

Сюжет коміксу обертається навколо Сновидиці — героїні, що має дар передбачення, і яка намагається протистояти Воллер у її прагненні використати дестабілізацію на острові Ґаморра, щоб захопити владу там. Разом із нею на місію бува направлений Загін Самогубців, до якого входять також Гарлі Квінн, Біззаро, Король Часу, Чорна Аліс та Смертооко. Разом вони вирушають на небезпечну місію, де кожен має свої інтереси, а Воллер, як завжди, грає у власну гру.

Головні герої — це класичний набір антагоністів і антигероїв, які змушені співпрацювати разом через силу. Сподобалося, що до складу команди увійшов Біззаро, персонаж, якого не часто можна побачити в таких історіях. Проте його образ вийшов доволі стандартним: сильний, але не надто розумний, без особливого розвитку характеру. Гарлі Квінн, як завжди, додає хаосу, а Король Часу і Чорна Аліс виконують свої визначені ролі, але не більше. Найкраще на мою думку прописані Сновидиця і Воллер.

Головний мінус коміксу — це брак часу на розкриття персонажів. Чотири випуски замало, щоб дати кожному члену команди можливість проявити себе. Деякі діалоги виглядають поверхневими, а взаємодія між героями недостатньо продуманою.

У підсумку «Загін Самогубців: Команда мрії» залишив змішані враження. Це не поганий комікс, його цілком можна читати без нудьги, проте він не пропонує нічого особливо вражаючого. Він може зацікавити героїнею Сновидиця або тих, хто хоче дізнатися більше про передісторію «Абсолютної влади», але як окрема історія комікс навряд чи є чимось, що варте уваги.

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Esquadrão Suicida: Time dos Sonhos é um prelúdio para a nova megassaga da DC Comics, Poder Absoluto. A história é escrita em conjunto pela atriz Nicole Maines, que interpretou a Sonhadora no canal CW, já que a personagem é a protagonista desta minissérie do Esquadrão. Nicole escreve melhor sozinha do que com a ajuda do já veterano Steve Orlando, com quem divide a história de abertura. Este Esquadrão Suicida conta com personagens já estabelecidos no Esquadrão Suicida como a Arlequina e o Bizarro, mas também outros como o Rei Relógio e a Alice Sombria, criando uma dinâmica bastante interessante. Mas o foco aqui é o que a chefona do Esquadrão Suicida, Amanda Waller pode fazer na vida da Sonhadora caso ela não tope realizar as missões suicidas que a mandante ordenar a todos eles. Essa é uma minissérie bem ok da DC Comics. Melhor que algumas histórias do Esquadrão Suicida, mas que não chega aos pés do trabalho original de John Ostrander.

[Fazun · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Alek Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rather enjoyed it. I like Dreamer as a character and the message her arc has about.

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nicole Maines works with Steve Orlando and a crew of artists to highlight the Dreamer character with the collection Suicide Squad: Dream Team. Blackmailed by Amanda Waller, Nia Nal is enlisted to help the latest assemblage of villains break into the nation of Gamorra. Waller claims the country is a weapons-manufacturing dictatorship preparing for an assault on America; the Squad’s mission is to take down its shielding for a counter-strike. The group - comprised of Bizarro, Deadeye, Harley Quinn, Black Alice, and Clock King - quickly discover their purpose is actually to disrupt the network of a peaceful Gamorra for Waller and her Task Force program to set up shop overseas. As the bad guys go predictably off script, Nia tries to correct her mistake by taking the fight to Amanda. Yet when the chips fall and the director plays her wild card, Dreamer must come to terms with her involvement with a coup that will shift power in the DC Universe. Nicole Maines is the actor who portrayed the Dreamer character for television’s Supergirl series, and she requires help from veteran writer Steve Orlando to help juggle her first major writing assignment for the comics. The convoluted plot not withstanding, the overall script does extensively focus on the game played between Waller and Nal. Orlando manages to help turn fanfiction into a plausible story, roping in a motley cast that might have thrived had they been continued past this arc. The revolving door of artists is what negatively impacts the series, as each issue tends to get muddier, grained, and more diluted. Character poses, facial expressions, layouts, and actin sequences are just messy, making for a very choppy reading experience. Suicide Squad: Dream Team is a forgettably unpleasant nightmare resulting from three AM nachos and heartburn.

[Ya Boi Be Reading · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this because of Amanda Waller's nephew Deadeye. Dreamer's inclusion, her actors writing (I enjoyed her writing in the Dreamer YA GN), and it tying into Absolute Power were other positives.
Sadly the execution fell really flat. Nicole MInes wrote an excellent DC YA GN and her writing here is ok if a bit lacking. Part of this is the crew that has little chemistry and doesn't get much time to develop either in a slim four issue miniseries. This is sort of ok since the real focus is Dreamer, Amanda Waller, and maybe Deadeye a bit. Everyone else is just sort of there to make it a team. but having some chemistry would be helpful. Instead we get Bizarro being a bland strong dumb guy, Black Alice who is sort of like Teenage Negasonic Warhead but with much less charisma and more “Fuck You,” a knows everything Clock King, and Harley.
The poor art does not help. Eddy Barrows draws in a very traditional comic style with heavy hatching and full blacks. That style already can err on the side of not being for me. But even then he feels not that great at it. Faces look flat or pancake faced and many characters lack detailing and turn into generic character-shaped blobs. This can be seen on the covers themselves like the one they put on the front of the book which has Nia Nal front and certain and still lacking detail, Deadeye with little detail when he's a decent enough size, Harley with an extremely off face, and Black Alice more of a pose than a person in the bottom left corner this appreciate they tried something with paneling but the skewed page design he so often goes for is one of my least favorite styles and comes off especially disorienting here (which does not seem to be the intent).
The development of Amanda Waller to flesh her out and her motivation was good though not really enough to pull four issues.

[Urbon Adamsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

PT Isto sim, é uma história bem construída e escrita com mestria! Fiquei bastante impressionado com o trabalho desta autora, de quem ainda não tinha lido nada até agora.

Também foi um prazer conhecer algumas das personagens que me eram desconhecidas — todas bem introduzidas, de forma clara e envolvente.

A narrativa tem um lado muito cinematográfico, o que a torna ainda mais apelativa. Gostei especialmente da forma como cada personagem é apresentada: simples, eficaz e sem recorrer a longas exposições sobre a sua origem.

Esta história funciona como um excelente prelúdio para um novo evento da DC... e promete bastante!

--

EN Now this is a well-constructed and masterfully written story! I was really impressed by the work of this author, whom I hadn't read before.

It was also a pleasure to meet some of the characters I wasn't yet familiar with — all introduced in a clear and engaging way.

The narrative has a very cinematic feel, which makes it even more appealing. I especially liked how each character is introduced: simple, effective, and without resorting to lengthy origin stories.

This story serves as an excellent prelude to a new DC event... and it looks very promising!

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Suicide Squad are back in this Absolute Power prelude story written by Dreamer herself.

A raid on Gamorra goes awry as Dreamer tries to play both sides against the middle, but learns the hard way that no one screws with Amanda Waller and gets away with it.

I'm not sure why Harley's back on the team again, but sure, and I do like that we get to see some of the more obscure DC villains like Clock King and Black Alice. There is a focus on Dreamer to the detriment of everyone else, but that's to be expected given the title of the book.

I will say that you don't need to read this before Absolute Power, but if you're curious about how Waller consolidated her power base and Dreamer's role in the bigger story, it's worth checking out. Plus the artwork's great, because c'mon, Eddy Barrows.

[Ross · Rating 3 out of 5]

So THAT's why we've been seeing so much of Dreamer in every DC Pride anthology...

Every Suicide Squad has to have one rogue member with 'a heart of gold' and that'd be Dreamer. Waller has them all cornered in typical Task Force X style. They could go BOOM at any time. I'm just glad they're finally forcing Waller's crazy to '11', because she's been pushing the same agenda for YEARS and nothing has happened. Hell, she even has her nephew on the team now (Why, Deadeye?)

Gamorra is another piece in her puzzle. Guess this gives Jon Kent's bf something to do?
---
Bonus: Dreamer even gets to call out Waller's ultimate goal... (the upcoming crossover name)
Bonus Bonus: It was all...just a dream? Damn precogs!

[Malum · Rating 2 out of 5]

You can really tell when a writer is far too invested in a character that they are writing. This is basically a Dreamer story and Dreamer is super powerful and super cool and just the bees knees here. Everybody else get a few lines here and there (and some of the characters don't really seem to have a reason for being in this at all. Clock King does practically nothing and Black Alice uses her powers once. Harley Quinn is here because, for some reason, Harley Quinn has to be in everything).

The only real redeeming thing about this was that it gave some interesting insight into Amanda Waller leading up to Absolute Power.

[Colin Post · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main narrative arc is pretty pat - when you have to play Draconian games a la Waller, are you really a hero? - but I’m psyched to see a major storyline featuring Dreamer. Even Clock King makes a comment that the hero’s journey is boring.

That said, Nicole Mains does some good work with a limited palette. Dreamer is a cool hero with some interesting powers. Mains works in some cheeky humor with clever captions.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was expecting incompetence but it was actually just kind of boring? And for a book collecting characters I don't love and giving them almost nothing to do behind Amanda Waller's vague threats and Dreamer's vague "super hero and also precog" powers, that's saying something. I think a lot of that goes to the solid art of Eddy Barrows. Not looking forward to Absolute Power, but dreading it less now.

[Will Cooper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Classic Amanda Waller "recruiting" a hero by blackmailing their family and then the hero does some bad things and then the hero does a hero thing and the plan is thwarted (at least mostly) and there is also a bad character in there that actually is pointless. (looking at you Clock-Counter, what's that guy's name? Who cares)

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amana Waller uses super-powered meta humans to do her dirty work to change regimes for political power. Usually, her suicide squad is villains and anti-heroes with nothing to lose, but now Waller is also blackmailing the Dreamer, who can see visions of the future and travel through dreams, into helping do bad things for a supposed greater good.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

God I respect Nicole Maines' writing choices. Getting the chance to pull your blorbo from your acting job into comic book canon, taking time to slowly set her up, then making her a 90's conflicted anti-hero? A superhero who wants to be a hero but is willing to put the people she loves first and getting manipulated about it? Delicious hell yeah girl.

[Sarospice · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to like Dreamer but her powers aren't defined enough for me and being trans and an alien is like Wha? But this builds evil Amanda Waller nicely, there's cool Bizarro moments, and I cared what happens next ....

[Red🏳️‍⚧️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn she’s rly great at writing Waller

[Daniel Butcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Setup to Absolute Power. It never pulled me in.

[Adam Carver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nia Nal aka Dreamer is quickly becoming one of my favorite heroes to read about. Her integration into the Suicide Squad is a fun caper.

[Fran Gándara Hofbauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me gustó, me encantaría leer más a Nicole Maines y a Dreamer 💕 Me choca que goodreads separe los issues JAJAJJAJA

[Matt town · Rating 3 out of 5]

not the best but I love Nicole and the ending while a bit overused surprised me and is pretty fun

[Henni · Rating 4 out of 5]

7 / 10

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this, *especially* the character of Dreamer! Can’t wait for more!

[Jason O'Hagan · Rating 2 out of 5]

this was just incredibly depressing?

[Petra · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

[Germán Pérez-Duarte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun mini story and great setup for Absolute Power. Very excited to read it :P

[Azrul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting new (for me) character

[Hayley · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars