Last year, Heritage Auctions announced its plan to auction the original artwork for New Mutants #98, which marks the first appearances of both Deadpool and Domino. The artwork, created by renowned artist Rob Liefeld in 1990, has an astounding asking price of $7.5 million. If it were to sell for this amount, it would establish itself as the most valuable piece of original comic book art ever sold, surpassing previous records held by legends such as Hergé, Frank Frazetta, Frank Miller, and Mike Zeck. This auction also represents the first time this iconic piece has been available on the market in nearly two decades.
In a statement released by Heritage Auctions, it was noted that the unnamed owner acquired this artwork almost two decades prior and had received numerous offers since then, all of which were declined. However, given the overwhelming success of Deadpool & Wolverine, which has grossed over $600 million globally and features actors Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman in a thrilling adventure through the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the owner decided it was time to sell. As stated by the owner, “The time is right.”
Despite the significant asking price, the artwork did not sell during that auction listing. Speculation regarding the true identity of the owner has emerged, particularly after Heritage’s post on X was captured and recently shared by Rob Liefeld, who humorously queried, “Anyone got a spare $7.5 million they can share?”
Additionally, Heritage Auctions responded more candidly, indicating that it was indeed Rob Liefeld who had approached them about the auction, prompted by the tremendous success of Deadpool & Wolverine. In their reply, they reported that Liefeld expressed, “The time is right” to sell the artwork.
This revelation suggests that Liefeld may have cleverly reacquired the artwork two decades prior and is now seeking to profit from its sale, provided the price is right. If successful, this would demonstrate a rare instance of a comic book creator benefitting from the sale of their artwork many years later. Notably, this indicates that Liefeld’s gamble on his own work has paid off handsomely.
