‘Suicide Squad: Dream Team’ #2 review: A dream come true

This is the best the Suicide Squad has been in ages.

April 9, 2024

The current incarnation of the Suicide Squad (Dreamer, Harley Quinn, Clock King, Bizarro, Black Alice and Deadeye) continue their mission on Gamorra Island in Suicide Squad: Dream Team #2, written by Nicole Maines with art by Eddy Barrows and inks by Eber Ferreira.

As usual, Amanda Waller has her own secret agenda and it has caused the team to split, with Dreamer and Harley Quinn determined not to play along with Waller’s schemes, even as Bizarro goes berserk, decimating everything in his path and unwittingly playing right into Waller’s hands.

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I loved this issue like I love the Sun. I don’t know if Nicole Maines plans on writing comics as a regular gig but I hope she does, because she seems to nail every issue she pens. This is by far my favorite lineup of the Suicide Squad since the glory days of John Ostrander’s run. It has the perfect mix of personalities and power sets.

Clock King and Black Alice are downright terrifying. Clock King is so emotionless and calculating that he always seems to be three moves ahead of everyone else, at times able to predict the future as masterfully as Dreamer. Black Alice is pure chaos here, jittery, constantly sparking with power and nearly as chaotic as Heath Ledger’s Joker (yeah, the BEST Joker) from The Dark Knight. She’s the perfect counterpoint to Clock King’s need for order and precision. Bizarro and Deadeye are hilarious. Bizarro is destruction incarnate, behaving very much like the Hulk from his earliest days, as he attacks everything in sight and who can stop him? Deadeye (Archie Waller) is Amanda Waller’s nephew and he never lets her forget it. He lost control of the team about five seconds into the mission but he’s still determined to keep things on the rails somehow.

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Harley Quinn’s as wacky as ever here and she and Dreamer make a great duo. And what can I say about Dreamer? Ever since she first appeared on the CW Supergirl show (which I still miss like crazy), I’ve loved the character. Her character design, powers and the way Nicole Maines portrayed her made her such a unique and fascinating character, and she continues being so here in comics form. I love that she has become like a heroic version of Freddy Krueger, able to enter other people’s dreams to mess with them. She does that with Amanda Waller this issue and the face-off between the two is pure dynamite. Waller may be cold-blooded, tough as nails and obstinate, but Dreamer can slip past all that, getting into her dreams to hit her where she’s at her weakest. Better stock up on those Costco-sized jugs of No-Doze pills, Amanda!

We learn a lot about Waller’s motivations this issue and it makes her a little sympathetic, but you’re left with the feeling that she’s going WAY overboard and causing more of a problem than the problem she’s trying to fix. That’s always been what set Waller and the Suicide Squad apart from the rest of the DC Universe, they operate in gray areas which always make them far more interesting than the heroes.

The art of Eddy Barrows and Eber Ferreira flows beautifully from page to page and gives the book a Force 10 From Navarone feel. They capture the terror of Bizarro’s rampage, as he tosses soldiers aside like rag dolls while simultaneously portraying the more subtle confrontation of Clock King and Black Alice. There are a couple of fantastic splash pages, particularly one where Black Alice cuts loose, filling a control room with shards of lightning in all directions.

Do yourself a favor and pick up this issue (and last issue if you missed it). This story and team are a blast and there’s a lot more action to come. This is the best the Suicide Squad has been in ages. A great and fun read that will have you waiting impatiently for the next issue.