Deadpool – also known as “The Merc with a Mouth” – was first introduced in the pages of 1990’s New Mutants No. 98 by renowned comic-book creator, writer and artist Rob Liefeld. His appearance was nothing short of a lightning strike that ignited fans’ attention and adulation like few characters ever before. Marvel Comics once said the mail they received about Deadpool was the largest response to a character in years.

Deadpool’s impact was so profound Liefeld was asked to include him in X-Force No. 1 as a trading card and full-page interior fact file, which is why the 1991 issue sold more than 5 million copies upon publication – and occasionally still sells for $100 despite the proliferation of polybagged copies. Deadpool’s popularity was so overwhelming that his scheduled return appearance was accelerated to X-Force No. 2, which sold 1.2 million copies. Liefeld focused the entire issue on his Deadpool as well as featuring him on the cover. The rest is the stuff of legend: Deadpool arrived a few months later as an action figure in the X-Force toy series, and has remained for the last three decades one of the top-selling licensed characters of all time. And that was before the movies. 

If the million-selling comics are still coveted and beloved, imagine the desire for early Deadpool original art, which is ultra-rare and highly coveted.

Look no further than Heritage Auctions’ Nov. 17-18 Comics & Comic Art Signature Auction, which counts among its centerpieces two pages featuring The Birth Of Deadpool from New Mutants No. 98. Both of these extraordinary scarcities – Pages 14 and 15 from that issue – come from Liefeld’s personal art collection.

These depictions of Deadpool and Cable are the first drawings of Deadpool ever created. The only illustrations prior to this are the character sheets Liefeld created before determining his final look and getting Marvel’s approval. These pages have been stowed away in his vast collection of mini-comics and are coming to auction for the first time. 

They show the process Liefeld used to conceive and flesh out Deadpool and how his creative process has always begun, from his early work on Hawk and Dove until today. Liefeld creates a mini-version of the comic book before expanding it to 11 inches by 17 inches, where he inks the final versions. He works out the storytelling, the gestures, details and rendering that are finalized on the finished boards.

Liefeld’s work on New Mutants and X-Force, done while he was still in his 20s, established him as a wunderkind in the comic-book industry. And his Deadpool has been a media powerhouse for 30 years, featured in more than a dozen best-selling Marvel video games. His appearances in cartoons are fan favorites; and his comics, especially those penned by Liefeld, are comics chart-toppers. In 2016 the long-awaited Deadpool movie starring Ryan Reynolds launched to critical acclaim and fan adoration, breaking box office records in its debut.

The sequel, Deadpool 2, followed in 2018, adding popular Liefeld creations Cable, as portrayed by Josh Brolin, and Domino, played by Zazie Beetz. The films have become a global franchise with both films grossing a combined $1.6 billion. Deadpool 3 has been announced and set for release in 2024. The film will reunite Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine with his best frienemy Reynolds’ Deadpool.