This month I went on an early vacation to visit family in Barbados, which is nothing but seaside views, cave spelunking and clear beaches. And some of the most colorful swimsuits I’ve ever seen! With my summer vacation already behind me, and the possibility of yours coming up, I can’t help but to be excited for the upcoming swimsuit covers releasing throughout the hot months of July and August. 
Marvel and DC are turning up the heat even more with these covers, leaning into the season with beach-ready hero art, collectible variant covers, and a little bit of nostalgic fun that comic fans like us know all too well.
Marvel is leading the charge with Marvel Swimsuit Special Brand New Beach Day #1, which landed on July 1, 2026. The issue is a clear nod to the classic swimsuit special tradition, but it’s also a fresh summer release built for modern readers and collectors. It features a main cover by J. Scott Campbell, though my favorite cover has to be of Luna Snow from the beloved Stanley “Artgerm” Lau. It’s hard to deny his talent when he makes her look so good! And Jeff the Shark too!
Alongside the special, the company is also releasing MARVEL SNAP Swimsuit variant covers on select comics throughout the month. Those covers highlight characters like Magik, Laura Kinney, Psylocke, Mystique, Gwenpool, Hope Summers, Enchantress, and Nico Minoru. This means we are getting a steady drip of summer-themed comic art this year rather than just one big release.
DC is part of the summer fun too, though its swimsuit cover rollout seems to stretch longer than Marvel’s. While they are not putting a spotlight on a big special one-shot, DC has been rolling out some of the most interesting covers from some of my personal favorite artists. The first two already released are the Batman #11 (2025) Cover F Anka Swimsuit Variant and Poison Ivy #46 (2022) Cover E Asrar Swimsuit Variant. Chris Anka is one of my absolute favorite artists of this generation, making everyone he draws insanely attractive and this cover is no different!
To wrap things up, I’ll do my usual thing and gush about my absolute favorite hero of all time. Nightwing is getting a swimsuit cover this year that rivals that of last year’s pumpkin spicy autumn cover. The critically acclaimed Dan Mora is baking us a sweet summer treat on the variant cover of Nightwing #140. Signaling how the surf is up and ready to ride the waves, three copies of this cover will be splashing right into my subscription. Yeah, you may think I have a problem, but the solution is clearly more Dan Mora Nightwing covers.
Make sure you get a copy of the many swimsuit variants both Marvel and DC have released and will be releasing throughout the month of July and August! You don’t want to be the one who misses out on your favorite character lounging in the sun!