Don’t underestimate Deadpool. Or his long history in the world of Marvel, which you can now own a piece of. This week, artwork from Deadpool’s very first appearance is up for auction.
Deadpool first appeared in New Mutants no. 98, published in 1991, and it is sketches from two pages (14 and 15) from that issue that are up for bidding. Both are original works from Deadpool creator Rob Liefeld and come from the artist’s personal collection.
According to the listing, “Creator Rob Liefeld used preliminary page layouts to work out his initial ideas how the final pages would appear, and how Deadpool would be revealed to the masses. Liefeld decided on a large 2/3 page splash pane…The preliminary is rendered in pen over graphite on 5.5″ x 8.5″ paper.” Page 14 depicts Deadpool standing over Cable, while page 15 sees the Merc with a Mouth about to kill Cable before Cannonball steps in.
Deadpool artwork is actually quite rare. According to Liefeld, “Between X-Force and New Mutants, that incredible, some would say peak, period for me, I did 26 covers. Not a single of them has come up for auction…Sitting on everything doesn’t help the value and the legacy of the art…Eventually you have to release it.”
As of publication, pages 14 and 15 are at around $50,000 combined, although buyer’s premiums would send that tally up exponentially.
Deadpool has proven a major fan favorite for Marvel, with the first two entries pulling in over $1.5 billion worldwide; the first ranks as the second highest-grossing R-rated release ever (behind The Passion of the Christ, which we’re sure Wilson would have a biting quip for).
Deadpool 3 is set for a November 8, 2024 release, kicking off Phase Six of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and marking the character’s official entrance into the MCU.