Ever think about how a variant cover can totally change the vibe of the story before you even open it? Some artists use the variant to show a quiet moment the main cover misses, or a hidden threat. It's like getting a secret version of the same issue that frames everything differently. Makes you look at the whole comic in a new way, right?
What's the best variant you've seen that did that? I had one for a horror comic where the main cover was the monster, but the variant was just the empty hallway from a kid's point of view. Way creepier, made the whole read more about the fear of what you can't see yet.