Comics In The Howitzer
Every issue of The Camp Howze Howitzer promised the inclusion of comics. Many of them were funny anecdotes relating to soldiers and their lives in the army, however, more of these comics included the objectification and sexualization of women. Two of the most common and popular comics were "The Wolf" by Sansone, and "Male Call'' by Milton Caniff. There were other comics as well but most were untitled and only appeared occasionally.
The Wolf
"The Wolf '' comics were known for their salacious stories. In almost every edition the main character, Wolf, was seen interacting with or talking about women. The conversations and actions always held an air of sextual subtext and they promoted the idea that a soldier should only care about women. The Wolf was also used in the Howitzer to describe men who were flirtatious and sextual.
The comic also promoted racism. Mostly against Hawaii and other Pacific Islands, but there are multiple instances of jokes and stories using Native Americans and their culture as the punchlines. There was also a rather offencive drawing of an African woman, likening her to a monkey and drawing her in the nude.
This comic is the best example of the true attitude taken by most soldiers towards women, and it shows both the impact and dangers of supporting this mindset.
Male Call
"Male Call'' comics differed from the wolf in multiple ways. The comics usually had 3-4 panels, it had more characters, and the main character was a woman. Miss Lace, the main character, was known for being "every soldier's gal", and a stunning beauty. Although the comics are still objectifying they were nowhere near as salacious as "The Wolf", and even promoted the inclusion of women in the army.
Even for all of its good points however, "Male Call" still promotes many harmful stereotypes and makes many jokes at the expense of women, and even though Miss Lace proves that she can handle herself, she is still drawn and promoted to be the picture of female desirability.