As Deadpool breaks records at the box office with “Deadpool & Wolverine,” cover art depicting the of superhero’s first ever comic book appearance could sell for a record $7.5 million.
Designed by writer and artist Rob Liefeld in 1991, it would
become the most valuable comic book cover art ever sold if it fetches its
asking price, according to Heritage Auctions, which is handling the sale.
Ever since Deadpool’s first appearance, fans have embraced
the mercenary supervillain turned witty and unfiltered antihero, played by Ryan
Reynolds in the movie adaptations of the comic books.
“Marvel contacted me and said, this is the most fan mail we’ve had on a new character in 15 years,” Liefeld said, according to Reuters. “They were flooded with letters, fan letters, which they sent me. And the box that that mail arrived in … I thought I was getting a washer and dryer.”
When Liefeld began working on “The New Mutants” – the series
in which he and scripter Fabian Nicieza introduced Deadpool – it was Marvel’s
lowest selling mutant title.
And similarly, the recently released “Deadpool &
Wolverine” has smashed expectations at the box office, raking in $211 million
domestically on its first weekend, making it the biggest opening of 2024, the
biggest opening ever for an R-rated film, and the sixth biggest opening of
all-time.
With Deadpool now firmly established as a lucrative
franchise in pop culture, the cover art’s owner approached Heritage Auctions
saying “the time is right” to sell it, the auction house said in a statement.
If the cover art fetches $7.5 million, it will surpass the
current record held by a 1938 comic that features Superman’s first appearance
and sold for $6 million at an auction in April.
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