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 honor was followed by a lively on-stage conversation with fellow Marvel bullpen veteran, '90s-era Marvel editor, and current 247 Comics Executive Editor Terry Kavanagh.
Comic-Con International's Inkpot Awards recognize individuals for their contributions to comics, science fiction/fantasy, film, television, animation, and fandom services — and Mackie's four-decade career made him a fitting honoree at SDCC 2026, held this year at Booth 1837.
Who Is Howard Mackie?
Howard Mackie has worked on over 700 issues of comics across a career built almost entirely at Marvel. He's most celebrated for co-creating the '90s revamp of Ghost Rider with a new host, Danny Ketch, writing the series from 1990 through 1996 — a run he later credited as having "made his rep" in the industry.
That success led then-X-Men editor Bob Harras to bring Mackie onto the X-Men family of titles, where he wrote X-Factor and its successor Mutant X through the back half of the '90s and into the early 2000s, alongside mini-series featuring Gambit, Wolverine, and Rogue. He also took on Spider-Man, writing Web of Spider-Man starting in 1992 and carrying through the Clone Saga.
A Reunion with Terry Kavanagh
Mackie and Kavanagh worked together in an editor/writer capacity throughout the '90s, so their SDCC conversation quickly turned personal — and pointed. Kavanagh opened, half-joking, by asking who the best editor Mackie ever worked with was. Mackie's answer: Bobbie Chase, whom he described as no-nonsense and skilled at reeling him in exactly when he needed it. Asked who the best-looking editor he'd worked with was, Mackie didn't hesitate: Bob Harras.
What's Next: Mackie Joins 247 Comics Presents
Kavanagh and Mackie aren't just reminiscing — they're collaborating again. Mackie is contributing new short stories to the upcoming 247 Comics Presents anthology under the banner Cemeteries of the Mind. The anthology will introduce two new Mackie creations, Anno Incarnate and Hell Wrangler, and readers will get to vote on which title moves forward into a full series.
Keep an eye on the 247 Comics creators page for updates on 247 Comics Presents and Howard Mackie's growing role at the publisher, and browse Terry Kavanagh's other 247 Comics projects — including Heroes Be Damned — in the meantime.
San Diego Comic-Con 2026 wrapped on Sunday. Stay tuned for our full SDCC recap, and check the 247 Comics blog so you don't miss the announcement of which Mackie title gets the green light.
