There are a few pretty interesting posts I have in the pipeline, but I wanted to get this one done for multiple reasons. I enjoy doing The Mast Looks Back, it gives me a sense of enjoyment and hopefully exposes people to comic/character history a bit more.
The New Mutants #98.
Now, why this issue?
I liked The New Mutants, it was a pretty decent alternative series to mainstream team books. Some of the characters were uniquely enjoyable (Sunspot for one) and it had some decent storylines. Its first volume was cancelled at issue #100 to make way for X-Force #1. So why did I choose to review this issue?
The New Mutants #98 contains the debut and first appearance of my joint favourite character ever, Deadpool.
Long story short, Deadpool is sent to assassinate Cable and gives The New Mutants way more of a fight than they ever suspected. The corrosive and sarcastic wit that Deadpool came to be known and loved for is all here, during the fights no less! One of the first things he says, to Cable, is that Cable shouldn't take it personally when he kills him.
Typical Deadpool.
It's a great first appearance and it was the acclaim he was met with that kickstarted the popularity of anti-heroes.
Around this time, generally everyone who was a bad-ass had to speak like a bad-ass, you know? Everyone had to have impressively cool one-liners and such, but Deadpool just appears and starts mocking people during his fights. Combined with breaking the fourth wall, he really stamped a unique feel to the books he appeared in, and it wasn't long until he got his own mini series, The Circle Chase.
I think that it's sad how Deadpool is now, compared to most of his existence.
Part of me is glad that his damaging levels of popularity have caused his older stories to be compiled in trade paperback. If you're curious as to what Deadpool is really like, pick up the first three volumes of Deadpool: Classic.
I believe the first volume contains The New Mutants #98. I'd imagine so, anyway, considering the cover contains Deadpool's pose from the front cover of that issue.
When buying first appearances, there's always a chance of increasing value. The New Mutants #98 is not an especially hard issue to find on eBay, but it seems to be increasing in worth.
Some people get lucky, but the general price of these issues seems to be anywhere from £25 to £115. If you can get one for relatively cheap, in comparison, I'd recommend doing so if you want to get into Deadpool. It's a POSSIBLE investment, but I wouldn't bank on it being worth thousands. It won't be.
So, you can get it. It's not an arduous task, even for non-comic fans. Just be prepared to pay a bit more than you might otherwise.
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Lots of people have asked me what the big difference is between Deadpool then and Deadpool now. You can read a more in-depth post if you track down the post entitled The Mast Blogs: Deadpool & Me, but I wanted to let people know about this first appearance.
I have a pretty big post coming up soon in which I will detail all the reading you will need to do if you wish to get into Siege. Multiple people have requested read orders for Second Coming, which you can find in the post below this one, but I've also received multiple requests for info on how to get into Siege.
So, keep your eyes peeled for my big catch-up post on that. That's about all I've got for you today!
Until Thursday, peace.
-The Mast
