In a year in which panels are getting canceled left and right at San Diego Comic-Con, one regular feature is moving forward: Rob Liefeld’s Deadpool sketch scavenger hunt.
The comic book creator has crafted four Deadpool/Wolverine-themed sketches and will be hiding one sketch per day, offering clues via social media of where to find them around San Diego. Liefeld held the first Deadpool sketch scavenger hunt in 2015, the year the first Deadpool movie brought its debut trailer to Hall H.
“This is a chance to celebrate the comic book origins of these characters,” says Liefeld of this year’s back-to-basics Comic-Con.
Unlike years past, there will be no major comic book movie or TV presence at Comic-Con, as the dual writers strike and actors strike will prevent the normal parade of A-list stars from descending upon San Diego. Deadpool 3, which stars Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, is among the many Hollywood productions that shut down last week as a result of the SAG-AFTRA strike.
But attendance at Comic-Con is still expected to reach 150,000 — with hundreds of panels still moving forward focusing on comics and other topics not affected by the strikes.
Liefeld previously tapped his family to hide the Deadpool sketches, but people began to recognize them, so this year, Liefeld will employ some anonymous helpers to get his work hidden around the con.
Original art from an artist such as Liefeld is worth cash, particularly in an era with such a hot art market. But the artist says he hasn’t seen sketches from years past pop up for sale online very often.
“People generally keep them, but I don’t care what people do with them,” says Liefeld. “Once they are yours, they are yours.”
See one of the sketches below, shared with The Hollywood Reporter.
Courtesy of Rob Liefeld
