GHOST #22

Cover shows sharp, well-defined corners and clean, unblemished color throughout with no visible creases, tears, or spine stress. The image is crisp with strong gloss retention and no fading noted. Slight glare from the protective sleeve limits full assessment of surface sheen, and the interior/back cover were not examined.

Ghost #22 is a mid-run issue from Dark Horse Comics' first ongoing Ghost series, launched in the wake of the character's breakout appearance in Dark Horse Presents and her own initial miniseries. By this point in 1997 the series was firmly established under writer Eric Luke, who had shaped much of Ghost's supernatural detective mythology across the run, working here with penciler Ivan Reis in one of his earliest professional American comics assignments, inked by Randy Emberlin. The issue features series regulars Ghost, Peter Neville, King Tiger, and the antagonist duo Crux, Focus, and X, continuing the title's blend of noir mystery and street-level superhero action.

As an interior mid-run issue without a first appearance, death, or landmark creative milestone, the book has never carried meaningful aftermarket demand beyond ordinary back-issue browsing, and pricing data services do not track a distinct fair-market value for it. Whatever collector interest exists centers on the cover by John Cassaday, whose later work on Planetary and Astonishing X-Men has made his earlier Dark Horse covers a minor point of curiosity, and secondarily on Reis's presence early in a career that would later include lengthy runs at DC and Marvel. Neither element has translated into active bidding or graded sales activity for this specific issue.

This is a book collected primarily by Ghost completists, Eric Luke run readers, and Cassaday or Reis cover/art collectors assembling early career material rather than by speculative buyers. Raw copies circulate cheaply and are readily available in back-issue bins and online storefronts, while graded examples are scarce enough on the certified population that a top-grade slab would need to be priced more on rarity of submission than on demonstrated demand. It is a reasonable, inexpensive pickup for a Ghost or Reis-focused run but not a book that trades with any urgency.