JOHN CARTER, WARLORD OF MARS #22

Cover shows strong gloss and vibrant color with sharp corners and no visible creases or spine stress; a UPC barcode box confirms newsstand edition. Slight edge wear is visible at the lower left and right corners, and the book is protected in a plastic sleeve which limits full assessment of surface sheen. No tears, stains, or writing are visible on the front cover; back cover and interior were not assessed.

John Carter, Warlord of Mars #22 continues Marvel's late-1970s adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom stories, scripted by Chris Claremont with pencils by Mike Vosburg and inks by Ricardo Villamonte. The issue, titled "The Canyon of Despair," features the series' recurring leads John Carter and Dejah Thoris and carries a Rudy Nebres cover. The series holds a niche place in Marvel's Bronze Age output as one of the publisher's forays into licensed sword-and-planet material, distinct from its core superhero line, but this particular issue contains no first appearances, deaths, or other historically pivotal content.

Market data for this issue is thin, reflecting the title's status as a peripheral rather than actively chased Bronze Age book. The only meaningful certified sale on record is a 9.4 copy trading in the low $40s, with higher grades represented on census but lacking completed sales, indicating limited transaction volume even among high-grade collectors. Demand is driven almost entirely by Claremont completists, Barsoom/ERB enthusiasts, and Marvel Bronze Age run-builders rather than broad speculative interest.

This is a book that trades in bulk boxes and quarter bins at the low end, with modest premiums attached to mid-grade raw copies sought by series collectors. High-grade certified examples remain scarce in the marketplace, and a true 9.8 would command a rarity premium simply due to the thin population of top submissions, but overall the issue functions as a supporting piece in a Bronze Age Marvel or ERB-themed collection rather than a standalone investment target.