MacDonald is a former editor for
DC Comics'
Vertigo imprint and
Disney Adventures. In 1993 she was one of the founders of
Friends of Lulu, an advocacy organization designed to promote readership of comic books by women and the participation of women in the comic book industry. (One of the organization's other founders,
Trina Robbins, described MacDonald as "
the founding mommy" of Friends of Lulu.) In 2005, MacDonald was given the
Women of Distinction Award by Friends of Lulu. In 2007, MacDonald edited the
graphic novel The Hills Have Eyes: The Beginning from
Fox Atomic Comics, that was a prequel to the
2006 film. From about 2006 to 2010, MacDonald also was an editor and writer at
Publishers Weekly, where she co-wrote
PW Comics Week. In January 2016, MacDonald announced she was laid off from her position at
Publishers Weekly, although she would continue to write for the magazine on a freelance basis. In 2016, she announced she was moving
The Beat to the webcomics site Hiveworks. She wrote, "The era of the 'bedroom blogger' is long gone, replaced by corporate entities trying to outdo each other with clickbait headlines and subsisting on popup ads that get more bewildering every day." In 2017, comics publisher
Lion Forge acquired
The Beat. In January 2020, it was announced that after Lion Forge was acquired by
Polarity, the company cut ties with MacDonald. In a press release, MacDonald indicated she would continue the blog independently. In 2025,
The Beat won the
Eisner Award for "Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism", presented at
San Diego Comic-Con. ==References==