Howard Mackie Receives 2026 Inkpot Award at SDCC

Ghost Rider, Spider-Man and X-Men writer Howard Mackie received the prestigious Inkpot Award at San Diego Comic-Con 2026. The event was followed by a lively discussion with fellow Marvel bullpen veteran, ‘90s-era Marvel editor and current 247 Comics Executive Editor Terry Kavanagh.

Howard Mackie has a storied career, having worked on over 700 issues of comics. He is probably most celebrated for co-creating the ‘90s revamp of Ghost Rider with a new host, Danny Ketch. He wrote Ghost Rider from 1990 through 1996, and later credited this run as having “made my rep” in comics.

That success led X-Men editor Bob Harras to bring him onto the X-Men family of titles, where Mackie wrote Gambit, which led to Age of Apocalypse and X-Factor. He also took on Spider-Man, writing Web of Spider-Man starting in 1992 and carrying through the Clone Saga.

Having worked with Howard in an editor/writer capacity throughout the ‘90s, Terry half-jokingly opened the conversation with: “I think we should start by asking the really hard-hitting questions. Who’s the best editor you ever worked for?” Howard quickly responded, “That’s an easy answer: Bobbie Chase.” He talked about how Bobbie was “no-nonsense and really good at reeling me in when I needed to be reeled in. I really enjoy working with a good editor. I know some of my colleagues don’t. I think editors always help my work.” Terry then quipped, “All right, who was the best-looking editor you ever worked for?” To which Howard replied, “Bob Harras.”

Terry and Howard are working together again on the upcoming 247 Comics Presents anthology, which will include new short stories from Howard under the banner Cemeteries of the Mind. Readers of 247 Comics Presents will be introduced to new Mackie creations including Anno Incarnate and Hell Wrangler, and fans will get to vote on which title gets developed into a full series.

San Diego Comic-Con 2026 ended on Sunday. Comic-Con International’s Inkpot Awards honor individuals for their contributions to the worlds of comics, science fiction/fantasy, film, television, animation, and fandom services.

Full SDCC Recap to come!

-Francis
Campaign Manager, 247 Comics