The release of the three Deadpool movies these last few years has brought the character quite a bit of attention. With the latest release of Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), comic book collectors seem to be taking advantage of the hype to sell some of their collection items.
This includes a piece of original comic cover art for the comic book in which Deadpool would make his first appearance. Heritage Auctions is selling artist Rob Liefeld's original artwork for the cover of New Mutants comic #98 from 1991 for an asking price of US$7.5 million. For a piece of art coming in at only 38 x 25.5 cm, its high value reflects its introduction of such a beloved character in Deadpool.
Should this price be achieved, it will beat the record for the most expensive comic book artwork sold. However, it should be noted that this lot is operating more like a retail sale rather than a traditional auction sale.
Rob Liefeld (b.1967)⏐Rob Liefeld New Mutants #98 Cover Original Art (1991)
Circa: 1991
Dimensions: 38 x 25.5 cm
Asking Price: US$7,500,000
Auction House: Heritage Auctions, Dallas
Unlike a traditional auction, Heritage is running this lot as a special direct purchase. Instead of competing in an auction, the lot simply has an asking price; customers have the option to “buy now” or “make an offer.” By “making an offer,” customers offer a price lower than US$7.5 million, essentially trying to bid. On the other hand, a customer can “buy now,” paying the full asking price and instantly receiving the lot.
Another interesting technical point about the lot is that while on the officially printed version, it is labeled as February 1991; this is not when it was released. Due to how print media is released, to maximize sales, companies give a two- to four-month window for purchase, and the printed date is when they would be taken off the shelves. The actual release date of this comic was 11 December 1990.
The officially released comic cover with added color, writing, labeling, barcode, and price
The New Mutants comics were a spin-off of the mainline Uncanny X-Men comics featuring younger mutants. It was a groundbreaking series that sought to focus on themes of shame and trauma, something that fits with its generally younger cast of characters.
The series was also less heroic. Before the 80s, superheroes, the X-Men included, were meant to promote socially liberal ideas. The X-Men in particular promoted anti-racism and inclusionary ideals. Sociopolitical shifts of the 1980s meant that the New Mutants were more victims of politics rather than beacons of social change.
Such groundwork was perfect for the introduction of a character like Deadpool. While now known as being a wise-cracking anti-hero often associated with the X-Men, he was originally introduced in New Mutants #98 as a villain, sent to kill the mentor to the New Mutants, Cable. The gun-toting talkative mercenary was a foil to the stoic Cable, with even the color of their suits opposing each other—Deadpool’s striking red versus Cable’s blue.
Select pages of New Mutants #98, including page 13 where Deadpool made his debut
Deadpool came close to defeating Cable and the New Mutants before being stopped by the Dominio, who themselves were also debuting in this comic book and would become a popular character in their own right. However, it was revealed later on in an issue of X-Force that in this issue Domino was being impersonated by the character Copycat.
Interestingly, all three of those characters—Deadpool, Cable, and Domino—would be reunited together on the silver screen in Deadpool 2 (2018), three decades after the comic's first release. Across the first two Deadpool films, the franchise has made over US$1.56 billion, and the hype and popularity surrounding the character are what’s behind the high price of this lot.
When the owner approached Heritage Auctions, the latest movie in the franchise, Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), had already made US$600 million. With that, the owner, who had been approached before to sell the artwork, stated, “The time is right.” Undoubtedly, the hope is that the franchise’s popularity will carry this artwork to such high prices.
The co-creator of Deadpool Rob Liefeld holding a print issue of The New Mutants #98
As for what records this artwork is expected to break, should it meet the US$7.5 million asking price, it isn’t so clear cut. There exist three records that this lot is comparable to. The most expensive comic book, the most expensive work of comic or fantasy painting, and the most expensive comic book artwork. The final record is the one that this lot is most clearly set to beat. The current record holders are as follows:
- In April 2024, Heritage Auctions sold Action Comics #1, which saw the debut of Superman, for US$6 million, making it the most expensive comic book.
- In June 2023, Heritage Auctions sold Dark Kingdom, a painting by Frank Frazetta, for US$6 million, making it the most expensive piece of comic or fantasy painting.
- In January 2021, French auction house Artcurial sold the original cover painting of The Adventures of Tintin: The Blue Lotus for US$3.9 million, making it the most expensive piece of comic art ever sold.
Action Comics #1 which sold for US$6 million in April of 2024, featured the debut of Superman and is the most expensive comic book ever sold at auction
Dark Kingdom sold in June of 2023 for US$6 million and is the most expensive comic or fantasy painting sold at auction
A rejected cover for The Adventures of Tintin: The Blue Lotus, which was sold for US$3.9 million making it the most expensive piece of comic book art sold at auction