Brent Moeshlin
Deadpool, the famed fourth-wall-breaking merc with a mouth, star of a couple of fantastic movies, frenemy of Wolverine, and on-again-off-again boyfriend of Spiderman, is a popular character. Unlike many of the characters he hangs out with in the comics, he hasn't been around nearly as long. In fact, Deadpool's first appearance wasn't until 1991, in a Rob Liefeld special that also introduced Domino.
Of course, in his original incarnation, he wasn't quite the rambunctious, sarcastic master of sass he is today. He had a mouth, for sure, but it was in the usual superhero style of banter, and it wouldn't be for quite a while that he started to see and talk to the narration boxes and break the fourth wall in other ways.
Still, Deadpool is a popular character with modern comic fans, and that means comics that are important to his story are valuable. They're no Action Comics #1 – very little is – but they can hold their own on the occasional auction. So, what are the most valuable Deadpool comics?
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What is the Most Valuable Deadpool Comic?
As you can probably guess, the most valuable Deadpool comic is New Mutants #98, published in February 1991. The now-30-year-old comic isn't exactly scarce or hard to find since 90s comics were printed in pretty high print runs, but it's also very sought-after. That means there's enough demand to short the supply, and in particular, serious Deadpool collectors are often looking for the highest of the high grades.
The comics industry as a whole is in an odd spot, between the post-pandemic slump and inflation making it harder to afford luxuries for many, so the prices for Deadpool comics may be a little stagnant for a little while longer. Whether or not that prediction holds true, though, remains to be seen.
How Much is New Mutants #98 Worth?
This is a slightly trickier question to answer. The safe bet is just to say "whatever you're willing to pay" but, of course, that doesn't help anyone.
So, let's look at the high water mark. 11 years ago, a pristine copy of New Mutants #98 – and I'm talking white pages, crisp corners, the whole nine yards, graded 10.0 from CGC – sold for $15,449.
It's rare enough for any comic these days to get a perfect 10, even one fresh off the presses. Even minor printing blemishes can drop it to a meager 9.9 or 9.8. Comics from the 90s are "easy" to find in the 9.x range, but a perfect ten is still a rarity.
There are two certain statements that can be made here.
One: If that same 10.0 copy of New Mutants #98 came to market today, it would probably sell for a lot more than $15,000. Deadpool's popularity has gone up, interest in comics has gone up, inflation has gone up, and values have gone up. I wouldn't be surprised to see it double, at least, though you never know. Maybe no one in the market for Deadpool cares to have the perfect 10.
Two: This price is a decided outlier. A 10.0 gem mint copy of any comic is rare, and Deadpool's first appearance is no exception.
"In the past 12 years, CGC has graded over 3700 examples of New Mutants #98. Of those, a full 1000 have been graded at the 9.8 NM/MT tier. That means that this unique CGC 10 is 1000 times scarcer than a 9.8! It doesn't stop there though. CGC has also certified 8 examples at the CGC 9.9 MT tier. These near pristine examples are exceptionally coveted relative to their age and represent just .2% of the population of NM 9.8s ever graded. This book is 8 times scarcer than a 9.9! The chance to own a single best example of a Modern key of this significance is virtually unknown. There have to be very few cases where there is only a single best example of a key of this era graded and it is perhaps a unique circumstance. CGC has been very stingy with 10s, even for books from the 1990s, so this seems likely to remain a standout item for the advanced collector for years to come." – Jay Katz, InvestComics CEO
To draw that second point into focus, let's look at some actual prices on auctions for New Mutants #98 right now.
On eBay, current auctions include listings at:
- An ungraded, estimated 9.0, for $399.
- A CGC 9.2 listed at $425.
- A CGC 9.0 listed at $355.
- Another ungraded, no estimated grade, at $200.
- An 8.5 listed at $315.
- An 8.5 with a verified signature from Liefeld for $150.
Those are just listings and active auctions as of the time of this writing, though. As everyone knows, one of the main things you need to do to price-check a comic is check the sold auctions; anyone can list a comic for a million bucks, but if no one buys it, it doesn't matter. So, what are some recent sales of New Mutants #98 on eBay?
- A 9.2 sold for $331.88.
- A 9.4 sold for $450.
- A 9.8 with verified signatures sold for $400.
- A regular signed 8.5 sold for $324.
- A 9.6 sold for $579.
At the same time, eBay isn't the only place you can buy comics. Heritage auctions have a 7.0 with a current bid of $21, a 9.8 with a current bid of $155, and a recent sale of a 9.8 for $1,110.
Some price aggregators put a high price point of $450; a good high-grade with clean white pages is probably going to go for something close to $1,000, or even $1,500 if it's really nice, but that's getting lucky.
What Other Comics are Deadpool Key Issues?
There's never just one key, right? The first introduction key is usually the most valuable, and that's certainly the case for Deadpool, but there are bound to be others, right? Well, yes and no.
First, the bad news: pretty much no other Deadpool comic is going to be worth more than, maybe, $100, and that's for a good high-quality copy. Maybe another ultra-rare Gem Mint 10.0 can top that number, but most of them just aren't that sought-after.
Truthfully, Deadpool fans don't have a lot of comics to collect that are noteworthy beyond just being more Deadpool. That's great for Deadpool fans, because it means getting a complete collection is relatively easy and cheap to get into. It's also great for investors, because speculation on the contents of upcoming media like Deadpool 3 means certain comics you buy now might be worth more later.
So, what other comics are out there featuring Deadpool and have the title "key"?
X-Force #2
X-Force was a "gritty 90s" comic and a spin-off of X-men headed up by Rob Liefeld, as a way to have a darker and more militaristic mutant force to play with. The team, led by Cable, went through a lot of different phases as Marvel tried out different gimmicks and spins on the group. It has been revamped and rebooted several times, had several different leaders and rosters, and has gone through a lot of different storylines.
Deadpool shows up in Issue #2 and sporadically throughout the comics later on, and is a regular member of the team for one iteration.
Unfortunately, this comic doesn't really make the big bucks. Recently sold auctions place copies with prices like a 9.6 for $50, an ungraded but high-quality copy at $15, and a 9.8 at $69.
Wolverine #88
Though Deadpool and Cable have a long history, one of the most popular rivalries is actually between Deadpool and Wolverine. Of course, Wolverine has always been a lot more popular than characters like Cable, and their banter has been fun pretty much any time they're on the page together.
Wolverine #88 is actually canonically the first time Wolverine and Deadpool fought in the comics, though they encountered one another earlier before. And, as a Wolverine comic rather than something like X-Force or New Mutants, it commands a bit of a premium. Plus, it helps that the cover is an excellent shadowed depiction of Deadpool "killing" Wolverine, though we all know better than to think he's not getting back up.
Wolverine #88 can be found at auction for $35 ungraded, and with finished auction sale prices like $66 for a 9.0 and as much as $375 for a 9.8.
X-Force #4
Deadpool wasn't in X-Force #3, but he came back for #4 in his third official appearance. Sadly, this one barely even qualifies as a key, and you can pick up ungraded copies for under $10.
A 9.8-graded copy sold for $75, though, so this could be a good opportunity to spend $2-3 on a comic and $25 on CGC grading to turn around and sell for $70+. It's not a lot of money, but it's a good percentage of profit, eh? Assuming, of course, that you get a copy with the right quality level to get a nice high grade. Shop smart out there, Deadpool fans.
X-Men: Toys R Us Limited Edition #1
This is an odd one. It's actually an interesting book; it was a promotional giveaway comic from the dead-and-born-again toy store back in 1993. It was also canonically the first meeting between Deadpool and Wolverine and the first time Deadpool and the X-men fought. Worth noting, though: Deadpool and Wolverine don't actually fight or interact at all in the comic; Wolverine just mentions that it's the first he's seen of the antihero.
Unfortunately, despite being a limited edition, "limited" in the 90s meant only a few million copies were printed, so this book is easily obtainable for under $10.
Are There Good Deadpool Variant Covers?
Glad you asked! A lot of the more valuable comics to feature Deadpool are actually comics, either in the Deadpool comic line itself or others, that have Deadpool as a limited variant cover.
Some of the more popular and valuable options include:
- Deadpool #2 with the Mike Hawthorne hip-hop variant cover. This striking comic has sold for as much as $311 recently, and that's ungraded; a signed 9.8 sold for $660.
- Deadpool #11, the 8-bit variant by Matthew Waite, a Super Mario (specifically Mario Bros 3) homage. This one has sold for as much as $225 ungraded.
Other possibly valuable variants include:
- Deadpool #50 with the Bradshaw cover.
- Deadpool #27 with the Adams cover.
- Deadpool #65's newsstand variant.
- Deadpool #45 with the Moore cover.
- Deadpool #1 with the Liefeld sketch cover.
Many of these are a lot rarer than even the more popular keys, but they're also newer, including as recently as the 2010s, so they aren't that valuable; often under $100 for any of them.
Is Now a Good Time to Get Into Deadpool?
Well, great question. Do you like Deadpool? If you have a soft spot for the man made of soft spots, it's never a bad time to start up a collection.
As an investor in comics, Deadpool has the potential to be a rising star. For one thing, we know a third movie, Deadpool & Wolverine, is coming up soon (with a planned release date later this year), and the release of new movies always bumps the price of their related comics a decent bit. Now would be a good time to buy and hold on for that bump.
It's also always possible that, with the deals worked out with Disney and Fox, Deadpool could start showing up elsewhere in the MCU. People have been clamoring for Deadpool to at least have a cameo appearance in some Avengers movie since as far back as Endgame, if not earlier, but now it could actually happen. Will it? Who knows! But you can bet if it does, Deadpool will certainly see a boost.
While we don't currently have any of the much-vaunted New Mutants #98 in stock (at least as of this writing), we do have one variant; moreover, we're always happy to buy if you're willing to sell. Just drop us a line or submit the form on the "sell your comics" page, and we'll be sure to give you a free appraisal and even an offer.
Either way, whether you're an investor, a collector, or just a fan, we'd love to chat. Drop us a line!
