Syndicated Comics LLC, a newly formed sister company to comics and graphic novel publisher Lion Forge LLC, has acquired Heidi MacDonald’s long running comic news blog The Beat ("The News Blog of Comics Culture"), the companies announced today.  Lion Forge and Syndicated Comics have formed a strategic partnership "to support The Beat and its editor-in-chief, Heidi MacDonald."

Lion Forge Founder/Publisher David Steward II, cited as the new publisher of the Beat, lauded MacDonald’s site and explained his goals for the acquisition.  "My personal mission is to see readers all of ages, ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientations, and gender identification reflected in the comics media," he said.  "Heidi MacDonald and The Beat have been THE authoritative voice of our industry, presenting insider knowledge in a format that is welcoming to a broad audience.   ...This partnership furthers my personal desire to see the industry grow and continue to reach new readers."

MacDonald started The Beat as a blog on Rick Veitch and Steve Conley’s Comicon.com in 2004 and subsequently spent time associated with Publishers Weekly, Hiveworks, and running the site on her own.  In a post on her site, MacDonald described the acquisition as "a plan to keep doing what the Beat does, only better"

In a statement released with the announcement, MacDonald expanded on those thoughts.  "The comics medium is more vital, diverse, and groundbreaking than ever, and with the resources we now have, we’ll be able to bring these developments to an ever-wider audience," she said.  "I’m grateful to David Steward and the whole Lion Forge team for their vision in forging this partnership and incredibly excited about what the future holds.”