Dream Team #1 Is the Perfect Resurrection for DC’s Villain Team (Review)

Warning! Spoilers ahead for Suicide Squad: Dream Team #1!The Suicide Squad is back and a countdown has begun to the next big chapter of the DC Universe with Suicide Squad: Dream Team #1. Since the Dawn of DC began, Amanda Waller has been meticulously planning her greatest move yet, but the Wall’s got a few more steps before she can see it through.

Fortunately, Waller has a brand-new asset she recently acquired during the chaos of “Beast World”. The precog hero Dreamer takes center stage in the latest version of the Suicide Squad in a story that continues to build up the DC Universe’s next game-changing event.

What Amanda Waller’s Been Up to and How Dreamer’s Involved

In the wake of Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths, Amanda Waller was called before the secret organization known as the Council of Light. Believing metahumans to be the cause of the Earth’s frequent chaos, Waller presented the council with a proposition to imprison every hero on the planet. The Council balked at the plan, but only because it didn’t go far enough. Instead, the Council ordered the complete eradication of metahumans from the world and gave Waller a blank check to see her mission through.

Amanda Waller began slow and steady work. With Peacemaker by her side, Waller kept a close eye on problematic hero teams such as the Titans, who had replaced the Justice League as the world’s leading superhero team. Waller bided her time until she managed to recruit Raven’s demonic half (disguised as the enigmatic Doctor Hate), and used her to corrupt Beast Boy’s mind while he was in his Star Conqueror form. As ‘Garro’ attacked the DC Universe, Waller used the chaos to her advantage.

With every hero occupied by the invasion of Beast Boy’s spores, Waller sought out Nia Nal, aka Dreamer. Waller had Dreamer stop the rogue precog known as Afterthought from destroying Belle Reve Penitentiary, which Dreamer did, but only because Waller threatened to reveal the existence of Nia’s secret alien community Parthas to the world. Unfortunately for Dreamer, the event was a trap laid by Waller to see if Dreamer could be pressured into taking orders. Knowing that she could, Waller began the next phase of her planning.

Dreamer Becomes the Suicide Squad’s Next Great Weapon

In Suicide Squad: Dream Team #1 by Nicole Maines, Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira, Adriano Lucas, and Becca Carey, Waller gathers the newest incarnation of her team together. Harley Quinn, Bizarro, Clock King, Black Alice, Deadeye, and Dreamer have been united for an undercover mission: to infiltrate the island nation of Gamorra and shut down the nation’s defense systems so Gamorra can be reached by outsiders. Crucial to this plan is Dreamer, who will transport the Suicide Squad to the island nation via the Dream Realm.

Dreamer is already chaffing from working under Waller, but she relents and agrees to bring the Squad to Gamorra. The new team makes their way through the Dream Realm, but no one truly seems to appreciate it other than Clock King. The Suicide Squad makes it to Gamorra, but unfortunately, Dreamer’s powers prove to be too much and accidentally kills the person whose dreams they’d traveled through. The more hardened members of the team move on, but Dreamer is visibly shaken and tormented by the situation she’s found herself in.

Sympathetic to Dreamer’s plight is Harley Quinn, who offers up a few comforting words to the younger hero. But during her conversation with Harley, Nia begins to get a vision of the future. She sees people panicking and shooting before being crushed to death by an out-of-control Bizarro. Dreamer’s visions only get worse as she begins seeing fragments of the future such as piles of dead bodies, heroes like Flash and Superman, and Amanda Waller grinning as the carnage grows worse.

Suicide Squad: Dream Team #1 is a Unique Start with Poignant Moments

Suicide Squad: Dream Team #1 is a book that demands readers have a decent bit of familiarity with the current state of the DC Universe. Amanda’s ambition to take down Earth’s metahumans, her relationship with her nephew Deadeye, and even Waller’s prior experience with Dreamer aren’t addressed. While a new reader could still read this and be entertained, it requires a bit more homework than a standard Suicide Squad title. With Dreamer being the story’s central character, the book is also a bit more rewarding for those familiar with the character.

That being said, the book is quite captivating. The dialogue between the team’s members, particularly Clock King and Dreamer, feels real and engaging. While the book is fairly lacking in action for a Suicide Squad book, there are moments of pathos, whether it’s Dreamer’s fury at Waller’s refusal to pursue true justice or Nia’s lamentation for the awful position she’s in. Dreamer gets the lion’s share of attention here, but given Nicole Maines’ history portraying the character, she makes the hero feel like a fully fleshed-out character.

Eddy Barrows also does fantastic work here. The characters all feel and look lively, especially when the book really gets into the swing of things and the Squad walks through the Dream Realm. Barrows takes a more grounded approach for the better part of the book, but his energy really shines through in several dynamic pages (particularly the splash page where Bizarro flies off in a fit of rage). Adriano Lucas’ colors perfectly accentuate Barrows’ work, especially in the Dream Realm when Dreamer’s visions take a tumultuous turn.

Suicide Squad: Dream Team #1 Slowly Sets the Stage for Absolute Power

Suicide Squad: Dream Team #1 is the first DC Comic book to carry the “Countdown to Absolute Power” branding. While the events of DC’s next big event are still months away, this book does a fantastic job reminding fans of one thing: How much of a monster Amanda Waller truly is. Maybe that’s something most fans know, but this title is a great start as DC begins to shift gears and prepare fans for the grim future that’s on the horizon.

With Suicide Squad: Dream Team #1 being only the first part of a four-issue miniseries, this comic is going to be over before people know it. Before it ends and Waller takes hold of the DC Universe in Absolute Power, fans should check out this new adventure for Nia Nal and the latest incarnation of Task Force X. With Waller going power-mad, this story could wind up being one of the most pivotal tales in Dreamer and the Suicide Squad’s history.

Suicide Squad: Dream Team #1 is available now from DC Comics.

Suicide Squad: Dream Team #1 (2024)
	Writer: Nicole Maines Artist: Eddy Barrows Colorist: Adriano Lucas Letterer: Becca Carey Cover Artist: Eddy Barrows