DC’s Pride-Themed Variant Covers Revealed

by Joshua Raynor
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DC’s 2022 Pride celebration will be available at your local comics shop, bookstore, library, and beyond this June with more stories, more characters, and more pride than ever. In addition to DC Pride 2022, a new 100+ page Prestige format annual anthology comic, in the coming months DC will also publish a new young adult graphic novel, launch three new comic book series, publish a new Tim Drake special, feature DC Pride variant covers on multiple series, deliver a new slate of books to readers everywhere, and turn a spotlight (the Bat-Signal, too!) on the World’s Greatest Super Heroes.

Pride variant covers by Mateus Manhanini (Blood Syndicate: Season One #2) and Lynne Yoshii (Robin #15)

 

Throughout DC’s line of monthly comics, DC’s 2022 Pride-themed variant covers will feature many of DC’s leading LGBTQIA+ characters, including Jon Kent, Nubia, Jackson Hyde, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Tim Drake and more. Today, DC reveals Blood Syndicate: Season One #2‘s Pride Variant by Mateus Manhanini and Robin #15‘s Pride Variant by Lynne Yoshii! More information about Blood Syndicate: Season One can be found here. The new Milestone series launches May 10.

 

Galaxy: The Prettiest Star cover by Jess Taylor

In the book market and available everywhere books are sold, Galaxy: The Prettiest Star from writer Jadzia Axelrod and artist Jess Taylor will publish on May 17 to introduce entirely new characters to DC’s pantheon of heroes. DC can’t wait for you to meet Taylor, the Galaxy Crowned, and so is delivering Galaxy: The Prettiest Star FCBD Special Edition 2022 #1, a free preview on Free Comic Book Day of the young adult graphic novel about gender identity, romance, and shining as bright as the stars, to your local comics shop on May 7. It takes strength to live as your true self, and one alien princess disguised as a human boy is about to test her power!

DC Pride 2022 #1 covers by Phil Jimenez & Arif Prianto (main) and Jen Bartel (variant)

 

DC Pride 2022, containing all-new stories spotlighting LGBTQIA+ fan-favorites, is DC’s annual Pride-themed anthology comic. The 104-page Prestige format comic, publishing on May 31, will have an introduction by activist, actress, and real-life superhero Nicole Maines (including a teaser for her upcoming DC project!) and will feature a main cover by Phil Jimenez and Arif Prianto, an open-to-order wraparound variant cover by Joshua “Sway” Swaby, and a 1:25 variant cover by Jen Bartel. The DC Pride 2022 creative teams, and the characters they’re developing stories for, include:

 

  • Alysia Yeoh and Batgirl by Jadzia Axelrod and Lynne Yoshii
  • Aquaman/Jackson Hyde by Alyssa Wong and W. Scott Forbes
  • Green Lantern/Jo Mullein by Tini Howard and Evan Cagle
  • Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy by Dani Fernandez and Zoe Thorogood
  • The Ray by Greg Lockard and Giulio Macaione
  • Superman/Jon Kent by Devin Grayson and Nick Robles
  • Tim Drake by Travis G. Moore
  • and more to come!

 

DC’s Pride anthology comic will also include contributions from J. Bone, Ro Stein and Ted Brandt, Samantha Dodge, Brittney Williams, and others; and new pinups by P. Craig Russell, J.J. Kirby, and more. With over 100 pages of original stories and content, DC Pride 2022 celebrates the strength and courage it takes to be a DC Super Hero.

But DC’s Pride plans aren’t limited to June! In addition to DC Pride 2022, the following comics will launch during Pride Month and continue through the year:

Poison Ivy, by G. Willow Wilson and Marcio Takara, with covers by Jessica Fong (main), Warren Louw (open-to-order variant and 1:100 foil variant), Nick Robles (1:25 variant), Frank Cho (1:50 variant), and Dan Mora (team variant), launches on June 7. In her new series, Ivy leaves Gotham City and sets out to complete her greatest work—a gift to the world that will heal the damage humanity has dealt to it! DC is proud to present the unbelievable next chapter in Poison Ivy’s ever-growing library in a six-issue story arc by the incredible creative team of G. Willow Wilson and Marcio Takara.

Poison Ivy #1 covers by Jessica Fong (main) and Kris Anka (Pride variant)

 

Nubia: Queen of the Amazons, a new series by Stephanie Williams, Alitha Martinez, and Mark Morales, with covers by Khary Randolph (main), Jae Lee (open-to-order variant), and Alitha Martinez (1:25 variant), debuts on June 7. Taking place right after the Nubia: Coronation Special, a second miniseries for the fan-favorite Amazon begins! You won’t want to miss the exciting new adventures of the one true queen, brought to you by the creative team behind Nubia & the Amazons—writer Stephanie Williams and artist Alitha Martinez! Williams, Martinez, and Morales’s new series is planned for four issues.

Nubia: Queen of the Amazons #1 covers by Khary Randolph (main) and Kevin Wada (Pride variant)

 

DC Pride: Tim Drake Special, by Meghan Fitzmartin, BelĂ©n Ortega, and Alberto Jimenez Alburquerque, with covers by Ortega (main) and Travis Moore (open-to-order variant), collects the breakout story from Batman: Urban Legends in one volume for the very first time! This 64-page one-shot comic arriving on June 14 also features a brand-new story that sees Tim teaming up with his former Young Justice teammates and the Batgirls! Tim Drake’s 2022 path starts here!

 DC Pride: Tim Drake Special #1 covers by Belén Ortega (main) and Travis G. Moore (variant)

 

Multiversity: Teen Justice by Ivan Cohen, Danny Lore, Marco Failla, and Enrica Eren Angiolini, with covers by Robbi Rodriguez (main), Stephanie Hans (open-to-order variant), Bengal (1:25 variant), and Failla (1:50 variant), features Kid Quick—the Future State Flash—and the other young heroes of Earth-11. Launching on June 7, the secrets of Earth-11’s newest heroes and villains unfold in DC’s most exciting new team title! And what role will the mysterious Raven—the brooding hero who has refused to join the team in the past—play in the brand-new series? Cohen, Lore, Failla, and Angiolini’s new series is planned for six issues.

 Multiversity: Teen Justice #1 covers by Robbi Rodriguez (main) and Stephen Byrne (Pride variant)

 

Throughout DC’s line of monthly comics, DC’s 2022 Pride-themed variant covers will feature artwork by Amy Reeder (Batman #124), David Talaski (Superman: Son of Kal-El #12), Derek Charm (Action Comics #1044), Joe Phillips (Aquamen #5), Kevin Wada (Nubia: Queen of the Amazons #1), Kris Anka (Poison Ivy #1), Nick Robles (Nightwing #93), Nicole Goux (Wonder Woman #788), Olivier Coipel (Harley Quinn #16), Stephen Byrne (Multiversity: Teen Justice #1), and more.

Pride variant covers by Derek Charm (Action Comics #1044) and Nicole Goux (Wonder Woman #788)
Pride variant covers by Amy Reeder (Batman #124) and Joe Phillips (Aquamen #5)
Pride variant covers by David Talaski (Superman: Son of Kal-El #12) and Olivier Coipel (Harley Quinn #16)

 

New DC books arriving in the coming months to add to your TBR piles, pull lists, DC Pride book clubs, in-store Pride displays, and to share with friends on TikTok will include:

  • DC Pride 2021 (4/26)
  • Galaxy: The Prettiest Star (5/17)
  • Crush & Lobo (5/17)
  • Midnighter: The Complete Collection (5/24)
  • Aquaman: The Becoming (5/24)
  • Batman: Urban Legends Vol. 2 (5/24)
  • Superman: Son of Kal-El Vol. 1: The Truth (5/31)
  • DC Poster Portfolio: DC Pride (5/31)
  • Doom Patrol by Rachel Pollack Omnibus (7/5)
  • Harley Quinn: The Animated Series – The Eat. Bang! Kill Tour Vol. 1 (8/30)

 

DC’s award-winning backlist of bestselling titles featuring LGBTQIA+ characters can be purchased everywhere books are sold:

 

Fans can celebrate DC Pride and read comics featuring DC’s LGBTQIA+ characters year-round by visiting the DC UNIVERSE PRIDE hub page on DC UNIVERSE INFINITE, DC’s premium digital comic book service. New titles are added every month, and a selection of free-to-read titles will be featured for registered users during Pride! The first two issues of Superman: Son of Kal-El are available now for subscribers, with the groundbreaking big issue featuring Jon Kent and Jay Nakamura—Superman: Son of Kal-El #5—arriving on DC UNIVERSE INFINITE in June!

DC and WarnerMedia are proud to be working in partnership with LGBTQIA+ organizations such as PFLAG National, The Trevor Project, Family Equality, Human Rights Campaign, Athlete Ally, Mermaids (UK), Inside Out (Canada), and more, to celebrate Pride in 2022. WarnerMedia and its brands have longstanding relationships with these nonprofit partners through the ongoing support of their work and year-round collaboration on social impact initiatives.

Through paneling, events, advertising, outreach and more, these partnerships help to create a more inclusive and compassionate culture for all Super Hero fans and provide resources for readers looking to learn more about these nonprofit organizations.

Stay tuned for more Pride announcements from DC and WarnerMedia between now and June! #DCPride

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