The Final Word - 2019

Vincent Ingala

Twelve short months ago in Seal Beach, CA, I rang in the New Year at Spaghettini with my housemate Kurt Mossler and our host for the evening, saxophonist Vincent Ingala. Just before the show started, I won a Spaghettini hat. Just after the show ended, I ran into Vincent in the men’s room. A few months later, I ran into him again at Denver airport. Welcome to my magical life.

After rubbing elbows with Vincent Ingala – literally, because my hands were wet – I drove home to Murrieta and started packing up my house, my housemate, and my cats, to prepare for a contractor to come in and rip out the aging wall-to-wall carpets, replacing them with engineered wood. While we whiled away the hours at the local Extended Stay America, it rained buckets, driving the crew into the garage to cut the wood. Still, they managed to finish early and right on budget. And the transformation is breathtaking.

Barry Manilow

I celebrated by checking out Barry Manilow’s new residency at the Westgate in Las Vegas. Considering he is 76, I pretty much expected a swirl of dancers and pyrotechnics while he stood still, or worse, sat in a wheelchair. But it was a high-energy show that was heavy on hits and light on pyrotechnics. “Manilow” has been extended through 2020, so check it out if your travel plans include Las Vegas.

In June, I marched for the first time in the San Diego Pride Parade, in support of Pete Buttigieg’s presidential bid. 2020 may well turn out to be the most consequential election of our lives, and I’m not about to sit it out. To learn more, visit https://peteforamerica.com/

I’ve spent most of the past year toiling away at my day job, conducting aerospace audits for DNV GL in various North American cities. This year I have been doing far more driving than flying, but given the state of traffic, I think I’d rather be on a plane. In October I finally got to conduct an audit in Germany, just outside of Frankfurt, which was an enjoyable challenge. I hung around for the weekend to practice my German and see what a well-run city with world-class public transportation looks like. I’ve also traveled to Montreal and Mexico, but mostly I’m confined to Southern California and Seattle. 

Jayson Comics #7

One of my Seattle-based clients offered me a job as a Quality Engineer; but after eight months of foot-dragging and heralding each new hurdle as the “final step” in the process, they finally made an offer that wasn’t very good, didn’t present a clear path to management, and would have required me to move. So I turned it down and resolved instead to honor my current commitments through mid-year, then rededicate myself to my languishing creative endeavors. I’ve got two new graphic novels in the hopper, and many more projects I’m itching to start.

Despite my workload, I did manage to publish a new issue of Jayson Comics this year, which I debuted at San Diego Comic-Con in July. In Jayson Comics #7, a new lead story sets the stage for the return of Ed Rosenblatt, ex-lover of both Jayson and Arena, followed by a retrospective of pivotal Jayson stories that feature the series’ most notorious heartbreaker. Blessed with brains, beauty, and charisma, Ed adapts easily to whatever situation he finds himself in – prompting the eternal question, “Who is Ed Rosenblatt?” Jayson Comics are available for digital download and print-on-demand at IndyPlanet: https://indyplanet.com/?s=Jeff+Krell

I also made appearances at Seattle’s Emerald City Comicon; Anaheim’s WonderCon; Santa Monica’s Hi De Ho Comics for PrideCon; New York’s Queers & Comics Conference, where I moderated an SRO panel on Serialized Comics; and New York Comic Con, where I also attended a performance of Aaron Sorkin’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” with old friend Giulia Hamacher, and finally got an answer from Archie Comics regarding last year’s pitch for the miniseries “Kevin in the Army” – they turned it down. But I will keep on pitching them until the right project lands.

The Murrieta Fire

Back home in Murrieta, we’ve been having our share of natural disasters. In January, flash flooding led to mandatory evacuations just to our north. In July, two earthquakes hit close to home. In September, the Murrieta wildfire prompted another mandatory evacuation; the air was thick with smoke for days. Yet somehow we carry on. 

Now, after too many nights spent in hotels and too many weekends spent writing audit reports, I plan to hole up for the holidays and rest up for the year ahead. Mark my words, 2020’s gonna be a doozy.

Ed Rosenblatt Returns to Jayson

In Jayson Comics #7, a brand-new lead story sets the stage for the return of Ed Rosenblatt, ex-lover of both Jayson and Arena, followed by a retrospective of pivotal Jayson stories that featured the series’ most notorious heartbreaker.

 

Unlike the main characters in the early Jayson strips, Ed Rosenblatt was not based on a real person. For a while he was the Jenny Piccolo* of the strip, often mentioned but never seen. Andrea Jartman, the inspiration for Arena Stage, did have a sometime boyfriend named Ed, who we agreed was slovenly and obnoxious, and bore no resemblance to the character who finally emerged as Robyn’s discovery and Arena’s high school sweetheart in the pages of Meatmen Vol. 6.

Ed was established as a porn star trying to pay his way through medical school. With the backdrop of the AIDS crisis, he justified his choice as a way to promote safer sex. Then again, over the years Ed has justified many dubious choices: tossing Jayson aside for the allure of Hollywood; knocking up Arena’s sister for the sake of appearances; and returning to medical school when all else failed. With a Jewish father and a Venezuelan mother, the duality of Ed’s nature – Ed Rosenblatt vs. Eduardo Rivera, gay vs. straight, Jew vs. Gentile – was established early on. Blessed with brains, beauty, and charisma, Ed adapts easily to whatever situation he finds himself in – prompting the eternal question, WHO IS ED ROSENBLATT?

Jayson Comics are available for digital download and print-on-demand at IndyPlanet.

*Google it.