Sunday, November 10, 2019

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.