The final set of cultural event variant covers in 2025 is the one that started it all: Pride Month! This is their fifth year and we have another wonderfully drawn set on our hands thanks to artists Luciano Vecchio, Betsy Cola, Paulina Ganucheau, Pablo Collar, and Rachael Stott! But as much progress has been made in the selection of characters over the years, 2025 feels like we’re right back at the start and I hope Marvel can try harder for next year. Come check out the great collection and hear a few extra thoughts below!
As always, the biggest gripe with the Pride Month covers is how not every series has an LGBTQIA+ character in it to feature on their variant, something that’s less of an issue for the Women’s and Black History Month ones, or if they do have a character, they’ve already been featured on a cover. In 2023, nearly all the covers featured a character from Alyssa Wong’s Doctor Aphra (2020), and most series didn’t have a character who they could use for the cover. 2024 was still the same on the latter part, but the variety and choices were some of the most unique yet (Sinjir Rath Velus?!!!). Which is why, while these are gorgeous covers, it’s disappointing Pride Month Variants in 2025 only have one new character, Mother Koril from The Acolyte, while Star Wars (2025)’s could’ve had new character Rynn Zenat but I get Sana Starros is a more recognizable name, and The Rise of Skywalker Adaptation doesn’t have a cover despite technically having an LGBTQIA+ character, Larma D’Acy, even if it’s a blink and you’ll miss it bit of representation and she’s already had a cover in 2022. Record holder Chelli Aphra keeps her streak and record going, appearing every year, and this time for the cover of her new series, Doctor Aphra: Chaos Agent, launching in June!
These are all delightful though and I can’t wait to pick them up, while my big favorite here is Luciano Vecchio’s cover of Sana Starros on Star Wars #2 (2025), as it visually links back to Vecchio’s previous variant cover for Doctor Aphra #36 (2020) and his work on the 2023 Pride variant starring Magna Tolvan for Darth Vader #35 (2020); I adore his informal series very much, it makes for a really neat and intricate collection which is very fitting for the linked history of the three characters, and I can’t wait for more from him!
Without further ado, here are all the covers with their current release dates:
June 4:
Kantam Sy from the High Republic gets their second cover thanks to Paulina Ganucheau on Jedi Knights #4 | Betsy Cola has Mother Koril gracing The High Republic: Fear of the Jedi #5
June 11:
Sana Starros gets a stunner of a cover from Luciano Vecchio on Star Wars #2 (2025)
June 18:
Pablo Collar is the next artist to bring Chelli Aphra to the Pride variants, this time for Doctor Aphra: Chaos Agent #1. I suspect the trade dressed version will look a little different given this has the previous logo used on the first two Aphra series and Chaos Agent has a new logo.
June 25:
Sabé, who was instrumental to the 2020 Vader series and previous starred alongside her fellow handmaidens in a 2022 Pride cover, gets a spooky rendition by Rachael Stott for Legacy of Vader #5
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