Due to circumstances beyond my control - circumstances in this case being a combination of the hard realities of life and the vagaries of technology - it seems it is no longer possible to leave comments. Sorry about that. You are missed. I can still be reached. Contact, top right, gives an email address - me@arthurranson.com . It is also not possible presently for new blogs to be created. This excuse for one was made by the cannibalisation of an earlier blog. Unable to upload images either so we are sadly pictureless. :( Apologies to any one who cares. I do - but there you go. The remainder of the site is working as normal and all other Pages ( top right) are open for viewing. When (if?) things get back to normal there will be a good number of 'Sirius' pages ready to be shared if that gives anybody comfort. MEANWHILE this space will be used to pass on anything that would otherwise have a blog of its own. Jan 26th. This seemed interesting because it appears to be offering an alternative. Midwest Ethnic Convention for Comics and Arts is holding it's annual comic book convention held in Detroit, MI. Part of MECCA's mission statement says that it wishes to 'make sure that children know that all “heroes” do not look the same, that many actually look just like THEM.' In addition to comics MECCAcon includes science fiction, steam-punk, fine art, music, graffiti, dj artists, handmade work by artisans, urban gardening, fashion, african martial arts, and more. And belly dancing. https://meccacon.wordpress.com/category/comic-book-conventions-festival… I'm guessing Ethnic in this context means non-Caucasian. Whether MECCA has any significance other than an acronym I don't know. There did use to be dance halls owned by Mecca Ballrooms. Jan 19th. Likely-hood of website restoration becomes less with the passing of time. Oh dear. (It poses the danger that this space will turn into something like Twitter. Oh dear.) Presently wondering about possibility of presenting 'Sirius' on a website dedicated to it. Dream is of having it in comic-book format with flip over pages. This would require me taking the work I have done designing the pages and re-doing it in another format using different software. Why I might devote my time to doing this is a question for a psychotherapist with an interest in the idiosyncratic behaviour of the creative personality. Oh dear. Jan. 11th Today in Paris many will be gathering to demonstrate their feelings about the assassinations at the Paris offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. The cultural situation in France is complex, not just a confrontation of a small group of Muslims who saw themselves as devout and small group of cartoonists who saw themselves as necessary. Given my distance from the events I can't say 'Je suis Charlie' with any conviction but given the choice between the murderous and the irreverent there can be no doubt about which mindset it is right to identify with this time. Le 11 janvier Aujourd'hui à Paris beaucoup se réuniront pour démontrer leurs sentiments des assassinats aux bureaux de Paris du magazine satirique Charlie Hebdo. La situation culturelle en France est complexe, pas seulement une confrontation d'un petit groupe de Musulmans qui se sont vus comme le groupe dévot et petit de réalisateurs de dessins animés qui se sont vus au besoin. Étant donné ma distance des événements je ne peux pas dire ' Je suis Charlie ' avec aucune conviction, mais donné le choix entre le meurtrier et l'irrévérencieux il n'y a aucun doute dont la mentalité il est juste d'identifier avec ce temps Jan. 6th. Anderson PSI reprint. Series launches on 21st January with - get this - a load of TV advertising. It is impressive that Rebellion are feeling so bullish. I'm hoping ads appear on free-view channels otherwise I shan't see it. Dec. 30th Happy New Year to All Our Readers. Wish I could promise a picturesque 2015 return to a weekly image-laden blog but it is looking less and less likely. Shame. Dec. 23rd Received an email Christmas greeting from http://labitacorademaneco.blogspot.com.ar/ which was nice. And a website well worth the visit for some comic artists and writers we in the UK don't usually see. Dec. 22nd Today the wobbly website threatened to not allow me even this meagre space. If at a future date I do fail to appear here it is the result of technology not indifference. Dec. 21st Merry Christmas, Felices Fiestas, Buon Natale, Joyeux Noël, Feliz Natal, メリークリスマス, Wesołych Świąt Had an image of Christmas edition of Comic Cuts 1935 I planned to use for this, but it is the thought that counts. Best wishes too for any Christmas non-celebrants. Dec. 19th The comic -creating workers collective 'Great Beast.' will stop publishing and close its online store on January 7. Founders Marc Ellerby and Adam Cadwell found the work involved was interfering with their own comic work . Creators will continue to sell their comics until the end of their print runs, and they will remain available on comiXology Great Beast blog - http://www.greatbeastcomics.com/2014/12/the-beast-must-die/ Dec. 17th Attracted by the (unfulfilled) promise of images from Victorian Lunatic Asylum inmates I visited http://wellcomelibrary.org/ . There the distraction became the link to http://www.wondersandmarvels.com/ . Unable to do proper illustrated blogs myself I offer this alternative. Here are just a few titles from the 115 blogs wondersandmarvels have on offer - Ancient Roman Girl Athletes. It Didn't Save Wild Bill. Medieval Madness. A Case of Spontaneous Human Combustion in 1731 Girl Warrior Fantasies The Murderers Thumb: A Short History The God of Fear versus Amazons and Persians. Seems to me there is enough material, titles even, for a dozen comic books. Dec. 11th Notice a little premature but Courtauld Gallery are reuniting 22 drawings and etchings by Goya on the theme 'Old women and witches'. Includes the spooky 'Dream of Reason'. February 26th - May 25th 2015. Dec. 03 John Wagner and I have just signed a contract that will lead to Spanish translations of Button Man. John Wagner y me acaban de firmar un contrato que llevará a traducciones al español de botón del hombre That's a Google translation but I do wonder if the publisher will call it de buton del hombre. Nov.28th WILLIAM BLAKE - Apprentice and Master Exhibition at Ashmolean Museum of art and Archeology. University of Oxford. December 4th - March 1st 2015 http://www.ashmolean.org/exhibitions/williamblake/ William Blake! And can't add pictures! Nov. 21st A German edition of 'The Beatles Story' by Angus Allan and myself has been published by Boiselle and Ellert. And a very smart hardback edition it is too. Eine deutsche Ausgabe von "The Beatles Story" von Angus Allan und mir wurde von Boiselle und Ellert. Und ein sehr schickes Hardcover edition es ist es auch. .
