THE INCREDIBLE HULK #222

Cover shows strong gloss and vivid color with sharp corners and no visible creasing or spine stress in this photo. There is a faint printing/registration mark near the left edge (near the Hulk head reprint box) that appears to be inherent to printing rather than damage. The book is protected in a plastic sleeve, which limits full assessment of edges and spine ticks; back cover and interior were not assessed. Based on visible surface quality alone this appears to be a high-grade near-mint copy.

The Incredible Hulk #222 (Marvel, April 1978) presents "Feeding Billy," a Bronze Age issue plotted and drawn by Jim Starlin, scripted by Len Wein, and inked by Alfredo Alcala, with a cover by Ernie Chan. It is a mid-run installment in Marvel's flagship Hulk title rather than a first appearance, origin, or landmark creative turning point, and it features no notable character debuts beyond the recurring supporting cast tied to the Hulk-Billy storyline.

The certified market reflects that status: values are essentially flat from grade 7.5 through 9.4, with only the 9.6 and especially 9.8 tiers commanding a meaningful premium, a pattern typical of an unheralded issue whose demand is driven almost entirely by condition scarcity rather than story or character significance. Sales volume at the top of the census (25 sales at 9.8) shows steady collector interest in pristine copies, likely fueled by Starlin's name and the Alcala inking rather than any narrative milestone.

This is a book for Bronze Age Hulk completists and Starlin/Alcala art collectors rather than key-issue investors. Lower-grade raw copies move as inexpensive reading or filler-run material, mid-grade raw copies see modest but steady interest from series builders, and the real premium concentrates in Gem Mint slabs, where scarcity relative to the broader census drives disproportionate value at the very top of the grading scale.