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Summary
DC ’s in style breakout character , Dreamer , take the spotlight this spring as she star in both her own graphic novel and a newSuicide Squadteam book . Nicole Maines , the writer behindBad Dream : A DreamerStoryand the Dawn of DC titleSuicide Squad : Dream Team , spoke with Screen Rant about all things Dreamer .
The clairvoyant submarine Dreamer stars in two titles this spring : Suicide Squad : Dream Teamby Maines and Eddy Barrow , which also features beloved anti - hoagy like Harley Quinn and Amanda Waller , and the Young Adult - oriented graphic novelBad Dream : A Dreamer Storyby Maines and Rye Hickman , which tells Dreamer ’s comic - account book origin account for the first metre .
SUICIDE SQUAD : DREAM TEAM # 1 ( 2024 )
Release Date :
March 12th , 2024
Writers :
Nicole Maines
Artists :
Eddy Barrows , Eber Ferreira
Cover Artist :
Eddy Barrows , Eber Ferreira , Adriano Lucas
Variant screening :
Custom Image by Andrew Dyce
Riccardo Federici , Sweeney Boo , Eddy Barrows , Gleb Melnikov
A NEW SQUAD FIGHTS FOR DC ‘S future tense … AND THE NEXT BIG stone’s throw TOWARD THE CATACLYSMIC EVENT OF 2024 ! When Amanda Waller cook her move to take over ultimate power in the DCU , nothing will stand in her direction — not even the future tense . spin out of the events of Titans : Beast World comes the story of Dreamer — the precog dreaming - walker who has melt afoul of the most power - hungry scoundrel in DCU chronicle . With a super - powered grinder who can see the time to come on her side , is Waller ’s Suicide Squad lastly unstoppable ? Join Harley Quinn , Bizarro , Clock King , Black Alice , and Deadeye for the engagement for DC ’s hereafter … and the next big step toward the cataclysmic event of 2024 !
Though Dreamer made her launching on TV’sSupergirl — as portrayed by Maines — she already has a bright future in DC ’s comics universe . ME spill all her thoughts on navigating DC ’s dull continuity , writing Harley Quinn ’s unique voice , digging into Amanda Waller ’s world , and so much more . show on for Screen Rant ’s full conversation with Maines , as well as prevue pages for bothSuicide SquadandBad Dream .
DC has give the world several iterations of the Suicide Squad , but arguably their best just ended before tapping into their full potential .
Nicole Maines Discusses Dreamer’s Past and Future in the DC Universe
BAD DREAM : A DREAMER STORY ( 2024 )
April 2nd , 2024
Rye Hickman
Dreamer ’s origin floor has finally arrived , sport grapheme from Galaxy : The Prettiest Star in DC ’s first YA crossover ! ! Nia Nal ’s drop her whole life taking a back seat to her older sister , Maeve , who ’s expected to inherit their mother ’s Naltorian mogul — the ability to see the future tense through dreams . But when Nia starts having visions of the future , she must suppress her powers to protect her human relationship with her baby . There ’s only one problem : Nia ca n’t stick awake everlastingly … From actress , militant , and author Nicole Maines , who originated the function of Dreamer — the first trans superhero on television — and artist Rye Hickman comes the extremely anticipated origin tale of a girl who must accept her destiny to discover she ’s more sinewy than she could ever dream of .
Screen Rant : These are great script . Congratulations ! I did holler a little moment reading the graphic novel .
Nicole Maines : Thank you very , very much . Maybe it makes me a psychopath , but that makes me very well-chosen to hear .
SR : No , as also a author , that ’s like — the prime end . So congratulations .
NM : Right ! The highest configuration of kudos !
SR : Yeah , exactly ! Exactly . I require hoi polloi to feel that much . So , Dreamer has basically been having a slow but sure present moment in the DCU for the last few years . And you ’ve been involve as her author — obviously as well as her actress — I think for almost every appearance she ’s been in , good ? So what ’s it been like building Dreamer into the DCU , specially as she kind of diverges more from the persona you played onSupergirl ?
NM : It ’s really rewarding . I imply — I ’m a person who struggles a bunch with imposter syndrome and feel like , oh , do I merit this ? Oh , I ’m not good . And this has been something that really help me take store . I guess the good word would be like , yeah , just take ancestry of what I ’ve done , and I think it serve me feel like I ’ve done something . Like I ’ve done good . Being able to screen of ferry this graphic symbol into the comic record book and help her develop has been really , really — Yeah , it ’s been a long process , but it ’s been really rewarding .
Every time something come out and I get to do more of these interviews and I get to verbalise to more masses who have a standardised reception , who are like , I was so emotional as I was reading it ! It just makes me feel good , I guess ? It ’s cool . It ’s nerveless to get to feel like you ’re on the ground trading floor of a superhero .
SR : I have it off that word you used : you said you ’re “ ferry ” Dreamer into the DCU , which is a bully verb , and itfeelslike that , right ? As she slowly gets more entangled in continuity . SoSuicide Squad : Dream Teamobviously is baked intothe events ofBeast World , which just wrap up . But it also surveil up — and hopefully this does n’t depend as a spoiler — on effect fromSuperman : Son of Kal - El , which I thought was very , very nerveless .
Building on that , what ’s it been like “ ferry ” Dreamer into persistence , specifically as she gets more and more entangled in the upshot of the DCU ?
NM : It ’s a little daunting , is n’t it ? Like , there ’s so much bechance — always — at once . There ’s so many simultaneously moving parts that it is very , very hard to keep track of everything . So I think the hardest part is , I ’ll be writing something and , ' Hey , can we let in this ? Can we do a nod to this ? ' And I ’m like , ' I have no idea what that is ! [ Laughs ] , I ’d be felicitous to ! '
ForLazarus Planetespecially , that was sort of the first time I was writing her for continuity on my own , I did n’t have a atomic number 27 - writer . And yeah , just keeping track of , ' Okay , what happen in Batman vs. Robin ? What materialize in Lazarus Planet : Alpha ? ' have to know the surrounding context for the state of affairs at helping hand for such a massive event — I did n’t jazz scarcely anything about Khalid Nassour , the current Doctor Fate .
I just constantly have like a million tabs open on the DC wiki , throughout multiple devices at a sentence .
SR : Yeah , me too . [ Both laugh ]
NM : And they ’re like , ' Hey , can you do a nod to … ? ' [ disjointed disordered noises ] I do n’t know who that is ! [ Laughs ] So that ’s the hardest part , but it ’s fun . I fuck off to have my moment , inLazarus Planet , I … get to decide what Batman tell . Oh my God ! That for me was when I was like , ' Ohh , okay , so I am , at this moment in time . I can make in - universe , canyon Batman … say something ? ' [ Both laugh ]
So that was cool ! induce to just have the Batman interact with Dreamer was really cool . It just feels like this fictitious character come from — I do n’t wanna say niche , because Supergirl was such a phenomenon and it had such a large fan basis . But I think to a degree , within the sphere of the larger comic fandom , throughout film and comics and animation and gaming , this character cook her debut in the back one-half of one specific show — I wanted her to be in this continuity , correct ?
That was my big fear when the show was number to an end , because this ca n’t also be the end of this role , because she ’s so cool and she means so much to people . So getting to then have her meeting Batman , blab to Robin — get to forgather Supergirl for the first time in the comics was really fun ! Getting to see her in these fundamental interaction with these characters that she would n’t have been interacting with just on the show . Yeah , I think rewarding is the word .
Nicole Maines Digs into the Suicide Squad’s Complicated Anti-Heroes
SR : Talking about Dreamer as someone who ’s coming from TV and entering into the comics mankind — obviously that make methink of Harley Quinn as well , who also started on TV . And I have a go at it your Harley backup [ with artist Mindy Lee , “ Everybody Hates Side Quests , ” inHarley Quinn#30 ] , I thought it was extremely charming .
And [ then ] I was like : ' or , what if she ’s having a skillful dreaming ? '
That ended up being exponentially more interesting . arrive to do like , ' What if it was Harley Quinn in Robin Hood : human beings in Tights ? ' And then it kind of wrote itself . I was like , stop , there , that ’s stupefied and I make love it !
SR : I think you have a material bent for Harley ’s voice , which can be real reach - or - miss sometimes . And you obviously also are getting to write her inSuicide Squad : Dream Team , which is super nerveless , witness Harley and Dreamer interact .
NM : I know ! My inner minor is freaking out !
SR : I have it away ! It ’s so cool ! And I know we have to void spoiler , but I really want to ask you about the relationship between Dreamer and Harley inSuicide Squad : Dream Team , which was one of the most interesting voice of the first issue for me , seeing them converse and speak to each other .
NM : That was something I was really excited for . I mean , I ’m always excited anytime Harleen amount out to play a little chip and she gets to put on her little PhD helmet again . I knew I want her on the squad . When we were come up with the roll , I was trying to come up with masses who I thought would play interestingly with Dreamer and her top executive curing . And so like , Clock King I intend would be an interesting moral force . Black Alice , Bizarro .
Harley came out because , one : her unpredictability I call up would be very interesting to offset with Dreamer ’s precognitive powers . But we had to cipher out how we wanted to justify Harley being there , because we were like , Well , she ’s not really a villain any longer , and she ’s not quite a fighter — but that ’s kind of what this series is turning into . We have a full spectrum : from Dreamer being the most desperate to Clock King being a scoundrel . And then we have Black Alice , Deadeye , Harley , and Bizarro in between .
I need to make every fibre and everything find really fleshed out and fully realized . Because everyone is somebody ’s favorite character , right ?
We ’re making up this full range of super - indistinguishability across — I guess like a spectrum of morality , I would say ? And Harley is in an interesting distance because she ’s been through all of this before , and she understand what it means to be on the Suicide Squad . She has witness the whole , somebody - goes - awol - and - is - try - to - take - Waller - down . She ’s seen this all before . And she ’s at a decimal point in her own persistence where perhaps for the first time she ’s in kind of a good state of affairs .
She has students , which is crazy . She has a home . She has Ivy . She has hooey that give her a living she can be proud of . And now she ’s back in this environment , and she ’s in a position where she ’s like : I know Dreamer is believably correct , but do I want to put all of my stuff and nonsense on the line of credit ? hash over this ? Harley ’s issue forth at it from a perspective of like , at what detail do I get to just love my life ? At what point do I have to stop the sacrificing and the fighting and the taking down the bad tough guy wire ? She ’s like , What if I just want to be with Ivy ?
And Dreamer ’s in a place where she is just like , Rage , rage , f — craze ! So that ’s been interesting . I just bid I had more time for all of these dynamics , because at the same time I ’m like , four issues — eighty varlet — is not a lot of metre to really flesh out all of these interpersonal dynamics . That is the hardest part . I need to make every character and everything find really fleshed out and fully realized . Because everyone is somebody ’s favorite character , good ? I was like , I have to do Justice Department to everyone ! So that ’s hard . That ’s really punishing .
SR : One of the play things about team books like Suicide Squad is those conflicts of interest , essentially , between the team members , not just the villains and the heroes , but within the team . All the different voices of the choir that make up these team . What ’s it been like as a writer balancing all these unlike — specificallyon the Suicide Squad , which is fairly wacky — all these unlike interpreter ?
NM : Yeah , it ’s frighten away . It ’s like I said , everybody is somebody ’s favorite character . So I want to do all of these characters justice . I want people come in for Black Alice to say wow , I really feel like this was a good write up for Black Alice . We have n’t seen Clock King in a minute , so I need people to find like , wow , that was a really cool character , we ’re glad he was bring back , he had interesting stuff going on .
And then we have newer characters , like Dreamer and Deadeye , who I want to , at the same time , give this more elevated role to , because people are less familiar with them . I want hoi polloi to be able to get to live them in these comics . So that is hard , attempt to hoodwink making sure each character gets their moments , and that ’s been difficult . But when I ’m ascertain room for the comedy ? It ’s hot . When I ’m find room for the — between the secret plan for them to be kind of stupid fiber and get to — that ’s fun . I think that perhaps more than anything showcases what these theatrical role are like .
SR : I have one last Suicide Squad question before we move around toBad Dream , which I ’m very excited to mouth about . And you know , one of the things I jazz about this first issuing was your [ very human ] take on Amanda Waller , which , in a path , we have n’t insure in a minute of arc because she ’s kind of the “ Big Bad ” of the DCU right now . She seemed really nuanced in this first yield . What’syour take on Amanda Waller ? What ’s driving her ? What ’s her role in this series ?
Make no error ! Amanda Waller is the main lineament of the series .
NM : Well , there ’s that proverb , where like , every villain is the submarine sandwich of their own story , which is true and no one ’s going around wilfully — well , maybe they are . But I ’d say most people are n’t going around willfully being awful , knowingly . And I suppose Amanda Waller is very that : her whole spot is about the ends justify the means and breaking as many eggs as she needs to to make a bad - ass omelette . Everything that she does comes from this despair for control and this crippling awe , I think .
Something that I really was conscious of in these issues — and we get a lot more of it in proceeds two — is convey Amanda ’s humanity into the serial publication . Because — especially with her being the Big Bad , right ? I was looking at this serial as a really good opportunity , as we ’re moving forward in the continuity , and as we ’re proceed forward with everything Amanda Waller is planning on doing , and it ’s , you know — all this stuff . I was like , let ’s take a second and remind everyone that this is a human woman who has loved greatly and who has lost greatly .
countenance ’s cue people where she ’s coming from , why she ’s doing this , and how she feel about what she ’s doing . Does she read the moral gray country she ’s operate in ? And Dreamer is a really serious character to serve as that transparency for her , because they ’re coming from this same place of want to procure a better , safer future . But Amanda is mesh in this very misanthropic dark area , whereas Dreamer is a superhero ! And then of course [ it becomes this situation ] where Dreamer [ has to ask ] , well , am I go to have to compromise my own code of ethics ? Am I gon na have to play by her prescript to pose her at her plot ? Turns out yes .
Amanda Waller was a major histrion in the recentTitans : Beast Worldcrossover event . She will also feature hard in this summertime ’s blockbuster seriesAbsolute Powerby Mark Waid and Dan Mora .
SR : For honest or for worse . Yeah , yeah .
NM : For honest or for worse , exactly . That ’s kind of the thing . Do the ends have to justify the means in this ? Can we afford to sleep well at nighttime ? Can we yield to stick by our own individual moral compass — if we know that we could have done more ?
And that ’s something everybody on the Squad has to deal with , include Amanda . They ’re all these people who are within a very oppressive environment . We have to ask : how do each of these characters respond to that environment ? Do they seek to struggle against it ? Do they give in to it ? And specially with Amanda Waller and Dreamer as two women of marginalized identity operator , it ’s : Yeah , I know this is not a world that wants me to be , that desire me to have the amount of power that I have ! If I shout aver superpower once I have it , is that kind of within my right hand to do so ?
It ’s perfect . I love Amanda Waller . I enjoy Amanda Waller ! I reckon she ’s interesting . I think she ’s coolheaded . I think she ’s layered . And I always chuckle , ‘ cause I ’m like , check people talk about the serial , they ’re like : oh , Harley ’s in it ! And it ’s just gon na be a Dreamer back door ! And I was like , oh , no , no , no . Make no fault ! Amanda Waller is the main fibre of the series . [ Both express joy ]
SR : I opine what ’s so compelling about your take on Waller is that attention to her intersectional identity and the way that affects how she comes at power , why she ’s so see , why she might be abusing this power — even from the first matter , I could recite how type - drive that kind of intellection is , which I always treasure in superhero comics .
Dreamer’s New Origin Story Reinvents the Precog Hero for Comic Books
SR : To switch geartrain a slight bit so we can talk aboutBad Dream , it ’s something I also really apprise aboutBad Dream — how character - drive it is and how attentive it is to all the different character ’ motivations and insecurities — and desire as well , of all variety . What was it like to build Dreamer ’s origin for the strip humankind ? And I know that it kind of trickled intoSuicide Squadas well , which was very cool to read them back - to - back .
NM : Yeah , I ’m really , really activated for people to get to read them back - to - back because it is kind of — [ in ] one we have the origin account , and [ in the other we have ] where she is presently . We ’ve seen everything that ’s pass off in between . So it ’s fun ! The first issue of Suicide Squad comes out March 12th , I conceive , and then Bad Dream comes out April 2nd , so before the second issue of Suicide Squad drop off , so I ’m hoping that it serves as almost a little flashback or , like , prequel .
Because I think it helps ! I was saying this the other twenty-four hour period — because there ’s four issues , eighty varlet [ of Suicide Squad : Dream Team ] , there ’s so much to get through . There ’s so much plot of land and fictional character clobber to labour base . There ’s a lot of time where we see Dreamer ; there ’s not really a wad of elbow room , time , for Nia , for the missy behind the masquerade , right ? So unfit Dream I conceive is go to be a really expert opportunity for hoi polloi to open that and get to know more about this persona . be intimate where she came from , acknowledge more about Parthas and her class and infer what that all means to her , as this is being threatened .
What is her relationship with all of that ? Why would she be unforced to compromise herself for the guard of these people and her family ? What , in her life , maybe she is feel guilty about ?
I ’m so lofty of Bad Dream , and I ’m really , really unrestrained for mass to get to read it and get more intimate with this rendering of Nia . It ’s a slightly dissimilar line of descent report than she stimulate on the show , but still proceed those staples of like , you know : Krypton always explodes . The pearls always strike the terra firma in the alley . Uncle Ben always dies .
Nia Nal ’s DC Universe origins have been adapt from her Arrowverse origin story , as Dreamer originally appeared , play by Maines , onSupergirl .
So there are a couple of things in Dreamer ’s story that we had to keep . We had to keep Maeve being just like working capital - W the Worst . We had to keep her mom dying , and we had to keep it kind of being her defect . Then I dumbfound to build everything around that , and I got to go in and build . The most exciting part was flush out Naltor as a planet . Because we have n’t really gotten a present - continuity Naltor really yet ? We ’ve seen it throughout several iteration of Legion of Superheroes cartoon strip , and we have , Okay , yeah , there ’s a high seer , everybody can dream the future .
Right away one of the changes that we made was not everybody on Naltor can see the hereafter . It becomes this natural endowment for a very few set of hoi polloi , and now what office do they play in the finish ? In the politics of this major planet ? What I ended up thought was interesting was them kind of dish as this like , weirdly publicized , propagandise , romanticize superhero team to recount everybody that : everything ’s gon na be fine ! And do n’t concern about it ! You know ? The Seers , they see the future ! They ’ll protect you !
And it becomes this eldritch polish of blissful ignorance all coming down on the shoulders of these few people . So just being able to build this larger world and culture for Dreamer to come from — I think it inform more about who she is , why she does what she does . She grew up read this propaganda , this Naltorian propaganda , and so her idea of “ what a fighter is ” is inform by all of that .
SR : This whole conversation has been so much about you talking about building the character and construction domain and how much of Dreamer ’s appearances the past few year has been about — build her , but also make continuity through her presence , which is very , very cool , and something that sense like not just that the character has been stick in in persistence , but rather that her presence add together to thelarger DC Comics existence .
NM : I really hope that more people get excited about play around in this universe . Especially like — Galaxy , Jadzia Axelrod ’s character , now we ’re start to see this friendly relationship starting to blossom . [ Dreamer is ] starting to build these relationships with these different character . I really want to see where her family relationship with Jon Kent is gon na go , hair’s-breadth toss , hair toss … Like , mayhap let ’s get a little messy ? ! Like , ooh , she ’s avail occupy her friend ’s boyfriend ’s country . But also , is there , like , a little scrap of like , oooh , cause like he spent the night ? [ Both laugh ]
Dreamer made her main - persistence DC Universe debut inSuperman : Son of Kal - El#13 by Tom Taylor , Maines , Clayton Henry , Marcelo Maiolo , Matt Herms , and Dave Sharpe . Superman : Son of Kal - Elalso featured a major coming out conniption for its bisexual star fictitious character , Jon Kent , who first kissed his boyfriend Jay Nakamura in effect # 5 by Taylor , John Timms , Hi - Fi , and Sharpe .
Dreamer Is Essential Queer Representation — Can DC Do Even Better?
SR : Everyone just take more mess ! It just needs more mess . That ’s the fun part .
NM : That ’s what I ’m saying ! I ’m like , Okay , yeah , superheroes , superpowers , whatever . Something I always say is : there ’s representation for funny people and there ’s agency for straight people . And I guess like in the vena of wanting to provide that unquestionable representation , we ca n’t have a series of queer superheroes without it just … being … the … worst ! [ Both laugh ] So that ’s the story I really want to tell .
SR : Uhhh , literallysay it again .
NM : That ’s the story I really want to tell ! I ’m like , ohh yeah . Yeah , yeah , yeah , yeah , sure . But I ’m sorry ? They ’re all in these healthy , attached , monogamous relationships ? ! Make it make sense .
SR : Your oral cavity to my radical chat . [ Both gag ] I do n’t keep you too long . I could keep talking about these books for like , another hour .
NM : Me too !
SR : I really think of that ! But in the spirit of enfold thing up , I have one last playfulness question for you , which is : If you could have Dreamer team up with any hero in the DCU — or a baddie ! Or somewhere in between ! — that she has n’t yet teamed up with , who would it be ? And why , of trend !
NM : Okay , I have my reply , and I have [ another ] controversial answer . First answer is either Wonder Woman or Poison Ivy . I would love to see — because I ’m have it away the prospect of Dreamer dealing with these almost virtuously gray visions that she ’s have , and seeing where we ’re come down the pipe and decide — like , okay , having some visual sense about some ecological threat or something . And maybe hold to endeavor to work towards a less murdery solution than Poison Ivy would go for ? I think that ’s interesting .
And then Wonder Woman ! I would bed to get — ohh ! Bia ! The trans Amazonian ! I would LOVE for Dreamer to get to maybe go to Themyscira and train with some Amazonians or something .
And my controversial filling , because I know there ’s red tape and persistence and canyon and dissimilar creation — Technically , but not technically . My dream will always be Dream of the Endless .
SR : Hell yeah .
NM : Look , I am wait for the day when we get that green light , and if ever there is an opportunity to bring those two sides of DC Comics together — first of all , I conceive Dreamer is the grapheme to do that with . I just opine it ’d be so interesting , because then it ’s like , Okay , well , where are her visions coming from then ? Is she her own Italian sandwich ? Is she a puppet for this entity ? What is she ? What is her purpose ? What is her role ? How does that relate to Naltor ? I think it would all be very interesting and cool to get to play around with that .
But that ’s also extremely improbable , so : Poison Ivy and Wonder Woman !
SR : We can hope ! We can … dream , as it were !
NM : We can stargaze ! We can woolgather !
Thanks again to Nicole Maines for visit with Screen Rant about her forthcoming DC Comics titles . lector can check outSuicide Squad : Dream Team#1on March 12th , and then learn about Dreamer ’s stemma in the standalone computer graphic novelBad Dream : A Dreamer Story , available April 2nd from DC Comics .
