New Mutants #98 Value & Price Guide

Rob Liefeld was 23 years old when he drew Deadpool for the first time. It was late 1990, and Marvel's New Mutants series was on its last legs. Liefeld and writer Fabian Nicieza needed a villain for issue #98, so Liefeld sketched a wisecracking mercenary in a red-and-black suit with twin swords and a healing factor. The character was supposed to be a throwaway antagonist. Instead, he became one of the most profitable comic book characters of the 21st century.

New Mutants #98 hit newsstands in February 1991. It introduced three characters: Deadpool (Wade Wilson), Gideon, and Domino (though the Domino in this issue was actually Copycat in disguise). For most of the 1990s, the book was a dollar-bin regular. Nobody cared about Deadpool yet.

Quick Value Summary

Item: New Mutants #98 (First Appearance of Deadpool)
Year: 1991 (February cover date)
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Category: Comic Books
Condition Range:
  Good (2.0): $80 - $100
  Very Good (4.0): $150 - $200
  Fine (6.0): $200 - $275
  Very Fine (8.0): $300 - $400
  Near Mint (9.4): $800 - $1,200
  Near Mint/Mint (9.8): $2,800 - $4,000
Record Sale: $42,000 (CGC 9.9, private sale)
Rarity: Uncommon in high grade

The Story

Deadpool almost didn't happen the way we know him. Liefeld has admitted the character's design was heavily influenced by DC's Deathstroke (Slade Wilson), right down to the similar real name (Wade Wilson). Nicieza reportedly saw Liefeld's sketches and said, "This is Deathstroke from Teen Titans." They leaned into it.

But what made Deadpool valuable wasn't the 1991 debut. It was what came after. The character languished in obscurity through the mid-1990s, appearing in X-Force and a few limited series without much fanfare. Then in 1997, writer Joe Kelly launched the first ongoing Deadpool series and reinvented the character as a fourth-wall-breaking comedic antihero. Christopher Priest continued that direction, and the "Merc with a Mouth" persona was born.

The real price explosion came with Hollywood. When Ryan Reynolds was cast as Deadpool in the 2016 film, the book jumped from $50 in mid-grade to $300 almost overnight. The movie grossed $782 million worldwide on a $58 million budget. Suddenly every comic shop in America had a New Mutants #98 in the display case.

How to Identify It

Cover: Deadpool dominates the cover, leaping forward with twin swords. Cable appears in the background. The cover is predominantly orange and yellow with "The New Mutants" logo at top.

Key details:

• Cover price: $1.00

• "First Appearance of Deadpool" does NOT appear on the cover

• Interior pages feature Deadpool in his now-familiar red and black costume

• Also contains first appearances of Gideon and Copycat (disguised as Domino)

Newsstand vs. Direct Edition: Both exist. The newsstand edition (with barcode) is scarcer and commands a 15-25% premium in high grades. The direct edition has a small Spider-Man head logo where the barcode would be.

Common confusions: Some sellers list New Mutants #87 (first Cable) as a Deadpool book. Cable appears in #98, but his first appearance is #87. Different book, different character, different market.

Value by Condition

Good (CGC 2.0): $80 - $100 Heavy wear, possibly missing a small piece of cover, spine stress visible. Still readable, still complete. At this grade, you're buying the character, not the condition. Recent eBay sales in early 2026 cluster around $85-$95.

Very Good (CGC 4.0): $150 - $200 Moderate wear with some creasing. Cover still attached and mostly intact. A CGC 4.0 sold for $180 on eBay in January 2026.

Fine (CGC 6.0): $200 - $275 Minor wear, light creasing, decent eye appeal. This is the sweet spot for readers who want a presentable copy without paying collector premiums. Sales in this range have been steady throughout 2025-2026.

Very Fine (CGC 8.0): $300 - $400 Minimal wear, sharp corners, vibrant colors. Small stress marks allowed. A CGC 8.0 sold for $336 at Heritage Auctions in late 2025.

Near Mint (CGC 9.4): $800 - $1,200 Excellent condition with only the slightest imperfections. Clean, flat, bright. The population at CGC 9.4 is relatively high given the book's print run, so supply keeps prices from climbing further.

Near Mint/Mint (CGC 9.8): $2,800 - $4,000 Virtually perfect. This is the target grade for serious investors. Prices peaked around $8,000-$9,000 during the 2021 comic book bubble, then corrected to the current range. A CGC 9.8 sold for $3,480 in December 2025.

The market for this book is mature. Prices have stabilized after the post-pandemic correction. With Deadpool continuing as a major MCU franchise (Deadpool & Wolverine grossed over $1.3 billion in 2024), demand remains consistent.

Known Variations

Newsstand Edition: Features a UPC barcode on the lower left cover. Scarcer than the direct edition, especially in high grades. A CGC 9.8 newsstand copy can fetch $5,000-$7,000.

Direct Edition: Spider-Man head logo in place of barcode. The vast majority of graded copies are direct editions.

Second Print: Exists with a gold cover. Worth $10-$30. Not the same book from a collector's standpoint.

Canadian Price Variant: Cover price shows $1.25 CAD. Scarce but the premium is modest, usually 10-20% over the standard edition in equivalent grade.

Authentication and Fakes

New Mutants #98 is heavily counterfeited, especially at the high end. Common red flags:

• Color reproduction: Fakes often have slightly muted or oversaturated colors compared to originals. The orange background on genuine copies has a specific warmth that's hard to replicate.

• Paper quality: Original Marvel comics from 1991 used newsprint with a specific feel. Modern reproductions often feel too smooth or too bright.

• Interior ads: Check the advertisements. They should be period-correct (1990-1991 products, Marvel subscription ads, etc.).

• Staple placement: Marvel used specific staple patterns. Misaligned or modern-looking staples are a giveaway.

Professional grading through CGC ($30-$50 for standard tier) is strongly recommended for any copy you believe is VF or better. The authentication alone justifies the cost given the number of fakes in circulation.

Where to Sell

Auction houses: Heritage Auctions is the premier venue for high-grade copies (CGC 9.4+). Their buyer's premium is 20%, and consignment fees are negotiable for valuable books.

Online marketplaces: eBay is the most liquid market for mid-grade copies. Expect final value fees of about 13%. mycomicshop.com and ComicConnect are specialist alternatives.

Local comic shops: Convenient but expect 40-60% of market value. Shops need margin and may sit on the book for months.

Grading costs: CGC standard service runs $30-$50 per book. For copies in the $80-$200 range, the grading cost may not be worth it. For anything you believe is 9.0 or higher, grading almost always adds value.

Not sure about the condition of yours? Upload a photo to Curio Comp for a quick AI estimate.

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