A Gorey Comic Page

For the May 1966 issue of Esquire Magazine Edward Gorey was engaged to create illustrations for a two page spread authored by David Newman and Robert Benton entitled From Weehawken With Love. 

Founded in 1933, Esquire is an upscale men's magazine with a history of publishing articles and fiction by current authors. While it has featured the pin-up style illustrations of other magazines for men, Esquire is not a Playboy style publication showcasing nude photos of women. Edward Gorey was commissioned three times by Esquire in 1966. The February, May, and December issues all feature works created for articles in the magazine.

Robert Benton (1932 - 2025) worked at Esquire first as art director then as a contributing editor. David Newman (1937 - 2003) worked as an editor for the magazine when the two became professional writing partners who would be nominated for an Oscar as screenwriters for the 1967 film Bonnie and Clyde. Their professional partnership had continued success with screenplays and librettos for Broadway musicals until Benton turned his talents to directing films. Newman then collaborated with his wife Leslie Newman on screenplays for many Hollywood blockbuster films.

Benton and Newman were obviously navigating the complicated world of Hollywood screenwriting when they created this piece, as evidenced in the introduction panel under the title. They also were enjoying writing a humorous pastiche of the James Bond spy films. 

Edward Gorey was a self-avowed film addict who enhanced the story line by adding his own touches of suggestive humor to the drawings. Presented in a comic book format with captions appearing as speech bubbles in each panel, this piece also reads as a storyboard for a film. 

Responding to the parody story line, Edward Gorey draws an eccentric cast of characters including a scientist that has turned blue, presumably because of an experiment that did not go as planned. Mr. Gorey also alters his usual style for the hand lettered text to be "comic book" style rather than "Gorey" style. 

Adapting to the comic book format, Edward Gorey embraces the sex and violence spy theme. The drawings include nudity, an extremely voluptuous Femme Fatale, and bloody violence in his drawings. Agent Ilya Ipcress even appears completely disheveled after having sex with the secretary. Not typical Gorey illustrations, but a format and theme he obviously had fun illustrating.

As the cover of the magazine suggests, this is a comic full of Spying, Science, and Sex.

Photo of Benton and Newman (cropped) by Burton Berlinski