Skip to content
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • PodBean
  • Subscribe To My Pal Sammy Newsletter
  • ABOUT
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms

My Summer Lair

Think NPR's Fresh Air meets Kevin Smith: My Summer Lair with host Sammy Younan: interviews & impressions on Pop Culture.

  • Home
  • Podcast
    • My Summer Lair
    • Space Station Oddity
  • Set The VCR
  • New Book Alert
  • True Sammy Stories
  • Toggle search form

045 | Heidi MacDonald (The Beat)

Posted on May 30, 2017March 5, 2023 By Sammy Younan No Comments on 045 | Heidi MacDonald (The Beat)

My Summer Lair Chapter #45: What Came First: The Comic Books Or The Culture?

One of the frustrating occupational hazards of being a comic book nerd is being lured into booby traps by click-bait. Argh! Think, Write and Publish…be original in your thinking and formidable in your writing. I’ve zero interest in your agenda and bro you take isn’t hot. I don’t go online to reinforce what I believe or think; I go online to encounter strong and unvarnished perspectives. I’m comfortable with what I believe and think; consensus is not validation.

All of which brings me to The Beat (The News Blog of Comics Culture)!

Superb writing and solid interviews all celebrating comic books…I particularly appreciate the emphasis on sales; the business side so often missing from bulk of online comic book writing and almost all discussions (especially on social media).

(Case in point…a glut of Wonder Woman hot takes are coming as sure as the Sun rises pimping all kinds of agendas…feminism, women n movies etc. none of that matters. Warner Bro and DC wanna sell toys, comics, box office tickets. They’re quite comfortable with what they believe and think. Many Bat-nerds had issues back in the day when Batman 66 debuted (that’s not our Batman!) but it pulled in $70 million in toys and t-shirts merch…that’s in 66 dollars. You can complain all you want but DC’s clear message is bro your take isn’t that hot.)

Heidi MacDonald is an outstanding journalist…bright, curious, deeply passionate and committed to the game. All of which shows up in The Beat and in her other work:

* More to Come podcast
* Comics Editor for Publishers Weekly Magazine

So let’s get into it…let’s get into comics. She and I get into tropes (comics, yo…), the birth of comic book criticism and of course this being TCAF…comics: Libby’s Dad, Boundless and so much more.

Also poutine which is how the conversation starts. Can’t live by comics alone…feed the head and the body.

Always amazing to sit down with a compelling writer over adult beverages.

Heidi MacDonald & Sammy Younan

The Beat @ W • T • F

Host & Photography Sammy Younan

Recorded: Sunday May 14, 2017 at 1:00 pm (at Girth Radio)

Stress free pop culture tastefully harvested for your divine delight. Once a week a carefully curated edition of My Pal Sammy goes directly to your inbox. Sign up for my newsletter so we can have some fun…it’s a fresh new beat!

My Summer Lair, Podcast Tags:Comic Books, Heidi MacDonald, TCAF, The Beat

Post navigation

Previous Post: 044 | Sammy Harkham (Poor Sailor)
Next Post: 046 | Stefan Sagmeister (The Happy Film)

More Related Articles

174 | Sam Roberts (All of Us) My Summer Lair
189 | Michael Holley (The Big Three: Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and the Rebirth of the Boston Celtics) My Summer Lair
Alex McAleer & Richard Young (Champions of Magic) 097 | Alex McAleer & Richard Young (Champions of Magic) My Summer Lair
Daniel Stern known for his Wonder Years and Home Alone roles joins podcast Host Sammy Younan in My Summer Lair. 150 | Daniel Stern (James vs His Future Self) My Summer Lair
028 | David Minkin (Magicians: Life In The Impossible) My Summer Lair
Astra Taylor (What Is Democracy?) My Summer Lair 87 087 | Astra Taylor (What Is Democracy?) My Summer Lair

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • #SetTheVCR: October 27 – November 02, 2025
    by Sammy Younan
    Happy Halloween with lots of horror and non-horror TV Recommendations. Like the hand bursting outta the grave, #SetTheVCR always comes back; it's never dead.
  • #SetTheVCR: October 20-26, 2025
    by Sammy Younan
    Welcome to Derry is not the sole vanishing children TV Recommendation this week. #SetTheVCR has lots of Happy Halloween offerings so keep that G.I. Joe nightlight handy.
  • #SetTheVCR: October 13-19, 2025
    by Sammy Younan
    This week's TV Recommendations is loaded with TV We Love to Happy Halloween suggestions that'll leave you Scared Shitless. A wonderful range like that can only be: #SetTheVCR.
  • #SetTheVCR: October 06-12, 2025
    by Sammy Younan
    With these week's TV recommendations say goodbye to John Candy and the Woman In Cabin 10. But say hello to #SetTheVCR.
  • #SetTheVCR: September 29 – October 05, 2025
    by Sammy Younan
    Like a man in the basement I got TV recommendations that are a Chef's Kiss. On The Lost Bus, this is your stop: It's #SetTheVCR!
  • #SetTheVCR: September 22-28, 2025
    by Sammy Younan
    I got the Lowdown on this week's TV Recommendations so you don't hafta Go Into The Void all Wayward and lost. Just as The Simpsons keep going, so too does #SetTheVCR.
  • #SetTheVCR: September 15-21, 2025
    by Sammy Younan
    This week's TV Recommendations are not a Stop Gap Measure. Rather it's a Lilith Fair celebration of charming TV presented as #SetTheVCR.
  • #SetTheVCR: September 08-14, 2025
    by Sammy Younan
    Lots of TV Recommendations for you to Sheen this week. Like your Cable Guy, I got you hooked up with #SetTheVCR.
  • #SetTheVCR: September 01-07, 2025
    by Sammy Younan
    Have I Got News for You: I got TV Recommendations for you Winter Spring Summer or Fall. From the Highest 2 Lowest this is #SetTheVCR.
  • #SetTheVCR: August 25-31, 2025
    by Sammy Younan
    This week's #SetTheVCR is dedicated to my Stans.
  • #CouchWorthy: Smell Ya Later Ozzy OsbourneOctober 3, 2025
    Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home is one documentary way to say...Smell Ya Later Ozzy Osbourne. Thanks for the music.
  • #TIFF50: Eleanor the GreatSeptember 25, 2025
    In Eleanor The Great, June Squibb brings to life the proudly troublesome Eleanor Morgenstein, who after a devastating loss, tells a dangerous tale.
  • The Savant vs The Idiot…September 24, 2025
    The series follows The Savant an undercover investigator as she infiltrates online hate groups to stop domestic extremists before they act.
  • New Book Alert: Cesar Romero: The Joker Is WildAugust 26, 2025
    My Summer Lair host Sammy Younan reviews Yaron Weitzman's Tanking to the Top. Trust The Process of The Philadelphia 76ers?
  • Morning Tea: Happy UFO Day 2025!July 2, 2025
    What's popping in popular culture? My Summer Lair host Sammy Younan steeps some seriously serious tea which prompts reflections.
  • Trial By Trailer: The Running Man (A Remake…)July 1, 2025
    Trail By Trailer is judging a book by its cover or in this case...a movie by its trailer. Are you 100% IN or is it a Hard Pass?

  • New Book Alert: Cesar Romero: The Joker Is Wild
    by Sammy Younan
    My Summer Lair host Sammy Younan reviews Yaron Weitzman's Tanking to the Top. Trust The Process of The Philadelphia 76ers?
  • Batman: Detective Comics Vol. 1: Gotham Nocturne: Overture
    Under-Review: Detective Comics: Gotham Nocturne: Overture
    by Sammy Younan
    My Summer Lair host Sammy Younan reviews Batman - Detective Comics: Gotham Nocturne: OvertureL Volume 1,
  • New Book Alert: California Bear
    by Sammy Younan
    New Book Alert is just that: A useful Yo for a fresh book. from your pal Sammy. What Are You Reading?
  • New Book Alert: The Music Was Just Getting Good
    by Sammy Younan
    New Book Alert is just that: A useful Yo for a fresh book. from your pal Sammy. What Are You Reading?
  • New Book Alert: The Ascent
    by Sammy Younan
    New Book Alert is just that: A useful Yo for a fresh book. from your pal Sammy. What Are You Reading?

Copyright © 2025 My Summer Lair.

Powered by PressBook Premium theme