Ask the Professor #19 — Art Spiegelman in Flagstaff

Art Spiegelman is coming to Flagstaff to speak on the evening of January 27.
What is the best way to promote this event?  Is it likely that Phoenix
people would be interested in making the 2 hour drive up to see him?

Thanks.

Well… not very many, the Professor guesses, because driving to snowy Flagstaff late on a Tuesday afternoon in January, and then facing the 140-mile drive back to Phoenix in the dark — and then getting up to go to work the next day — would be daunting to anyone but the most obsessive Spiegelman fan. Staying overnight in Flag might work better, but then comics fans are notoriously cheap, and there’s still getting to work the next day (unless they’re unemployed, but then they’d be even less likely to spend the money).
That’s not to say you shouldn’t give it a try, of course — there are over 4 million people here in the Valley, after all — but pick your shots carefully. Comics shops are the most obvious place to begin, and the Professor assumes that most would be happy to display a poster or handbill advertising the speech (All About certainly would). Assuming that he’s going to talk about Maus, it might work to contact places like the various Jewish Community Center around town, too, and maybe see about getting a mention in some of their newsletters. It couldn’t hurt, as they say, hurt.
By the way, in case you didn’t already know, Spiegelman’s a chain smoker (at least, he has been for years, and the Professor assumes he still is), and is notoriously prickly about being told he has to obey indoor smoking regulations, so you might get started now on figuring out how you’re going to deal with that….

About Phil

With 40 years of experience in comic reading, collecting and reviewing, English Professor Phil Mateer has an encyclopedic mind for comics. Feel free to ask Phil about storylines, characters, artists or for that matter, any comic book trivia. He will post your questions and answers on the AABC blog. His knowledge is unparalleled! He is also our warehouse manager, so if you are looking for that hard to find comic book, ask Phil!
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