Deadpool First Appearance: The New Mutants #98 and How to Identify It

Deadpool first appeared in The New Mutants #98 (cover date February 1991), published by Marvel, by Rob Liefeld, Fabian Nicieza. The source puts it this way: "This issue is the first appearance of the 'Merc with a Mouth' Deadpool (aka Wade Wilson). Created by Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza.".

• On-sale date vs. cover date: Deadpool's first appearance, in The New Mutants #98, went on sale December 11, 1990, but carries a cover date of February 1991.
• Cover role (debuts as villain): the issue's record lists a February 1991 date and Marvel Comics as publisher, and Deadpool appears on the cover in his debut role as a villain.

• Indicia: the small print on the first page or inside cover gives the issue number, date and publisher; reprints usually say so there.
• Cover price and barcode: a price or barcode format that did not exist in the year printed means a later edition.
• Paper and staples: decades-old newsprint is tan at the edges; bright white pages on an old date are a warning sign.
• Restoration: color touch, trimmed edges and married covers are common on expensive keys; a grading service can detect them.

Shoot the front cover flat, straight on, in even light, then the indicia page and the back cover. Include the top edge and staples in one frame. The app reads the title, issue number and cover and matches it against the checks above; the indicia photo settles most reprint questions.