Rob Liefeld will be the inaugural inductee into the Wizard World Hall of Legends, established by the convention company to "celebrate the artists, writers and insiders who have built the industry."

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A co-founder of Image Comics known for such creations as Deadpool, Cable, X-Force and Youngblood, Liefeld will be presented with the award Friday at Wizard World Comic Con Philadelphia.

“I'm honored to be inducted into the Wizard World Hall of Legends and have my 30 years of contributions to the industry recognized,” Liefeld said in a statement. “I have tremendous love and affection for this art form, its community and the business of creating and selling comic books and graphic novels. It was a passion of mine long before it was my vocation.”

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Liefeld rose to prominence in 1989 as the artist of Marvel's The New Mutants, which he helped to revamp and relaunch two years later as X-Force, whose first issue sold a record-setting 5 million copies. He left Marvel in 1992 to help found Image Comics, where he launched Youngblood. Under his Extreme Studios banner, he went on to publish such titles as Brigade, Bloodstrike, Supreme, Glory, Prophet and Avengelyne.

“Rob Liefeld is a perfect first Wizard World Hall of Legends recipient: a top creator whose work has gained worldwide acclaim in various media forms, all the way to the big screen,” said Wizard World CEO John D. Maatta.

The Wizard World Hall of Legends initiative intends to honor one or more comics industry figure at each of its conventions.