The original cover art for Deadpool’s comic book debut is set to hit the auction block, per artnet.com. Heritage Auctions has announced that Rob Liefeld’s iconic cover for New Mutants No. 98, which introduced the world to the wise-cracking mercenary, is now up for sale with an asking price of $7.5 million.
This potential sale comes at a time when Deadpool & Wolverine, starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, has shattered records to become the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time, raking in an impressive $824 million globally.
The timing of this auction seems strategically aligned with the character’s soaring popularity.
The artwork’s anonymous seller, who acquired the piece nearly two decades ago, has reportedly turned down numerous offers over the years. However, citing the current film’s overwhelming success, the seller stated, “The time is right.”
If the piece sells at its asking price, it would obliterate the current record for comics artwork, set just last year when a Frank Frazetta painting fetched $6 million at the same auction house.
The story behind the artwork is as compelling as its potential value. In 1990, Marvel Comics gave the then 23-year-old Liefeld carte blanche to revitalise the struggling New Mutants series. Facing personal challenges, including his father’s battle with cancer and his family’s financial struggles, Liefeld created Deadpool as a last-ditch effort to save both the comic and his career.
The gamble paid off spectacularly, with Deadpool becoming an instant fan favourite and eventually a global phenomenon.
