With a dearth of comic releases because Marvel’s gone hardline on their sales quotas, the cultural variant covers lines have had some of their smallest years ever. With so little issues to grace the line with, we get connecting variants to help push the collecting, but that’s never a worry with me, as I want to make sure and support the initiative so they keep doing it. Still, it was a shame to see only three for Black History Month, a dismal one for Women’s History Month, and at least another three for Pride Month 2026. Artist Rickie Yagawa, with colorist Tamra Bonvillain, make it a memorable three at least, with a few new faces and an overall snazzy look. But there’s a big gripe, worse than in previous years, but we’ll discuss that, as well as show off the big connective image, below!
Every year, a big problem is how not every series out has an LGBTQIA+ character in it to feature on their Pride Month variant. 2026 found a new absolute low, however: Not only does the very few series out have characters to represent, but there’s not a single character who still has a story being told. After Doctor Aphra: Chaos Agent‘s untimely ending, which I dove deep into in my 2025 Star Wars Comics Year-in-Review, and the High Republic’s main story over, the places where we’d see LGBTQIA+ are gone. It makes this year’s variants feel hollow, like Marvel putting out a gentle reminder they had characters worth featuring on such a variant cover, yet they don’t consider them worth telling more stories about. Let’s hope Lucasfilm and Marvel can turn things around and make this feel less dismal.
Regardless, the work of Rickie Yagawa and Tamra Bonvillain is more than worth celebrating! Yagawa’s take on these familiar characters doesn’t stray too far from their most recognizable or usual looks, but there’s enough of a unique spin they all really pop. You can find the variants on June 3’s Rogue One – Jyn Erso #1, June 10’s Shadow of Maul #4, and June 24’s Galaxy’s Edge: Echoes of the Empire #3. Without further ado, here it is:
If you’re curious who all graces the cover, from left to right, here’s the list:
Vildar Mac, Terec and Ceret, Mother Aniseya, Mother Koril, Tey Sirrek, Cinta Kaz and Vel Sartha, Sabé, Doctor Aphra, Just Lucky, Ariole, Wrobie Tyce and Lama D’Acy, Rae Sloane, T’onga & Losha, and Sana Starros.
The four new characters are Ariole from Doctor Aphra (2020), Mother Aniseya of The Acolyte, and Vildar Mac & Tey Sirrek, whose LGBTQIA+ revelation was a delightful confirmation of fans’ theories and hopes. Otherwise, this is the second time for Terec & Ceret, Mother Koril, Cinta Kaz & Vel Sartha, Wrobie Tyce & Lama D’Acy, T’onga & Losha, Rae Sloane, and Just Lucky; it’s the third time for Sana Starros and Sabé; and Doctor Aphra doesn’t break her streak and makes her sixth appearance, front and center. Let’s just hope it’s not her ONLY appearance this year….
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