The Wolf by Sgt. Leonard Sansone

A few months ago, I bought this book online for 1 euro I guess. I haven’t many ‘vintage’ cartoon books , I usually collect non-text cartoons, but ‘1945’ made me think of WWII and maybe the book could surprise me. It did! It really breathes the atmosphere of American GI life: in action, in the mess and most of all, in relation to girls…



This is what I found in the book (Copyright 1945 by Leonard Sansone)
“Along with the jeep, the robot bomb and Spam, the wolf in GI clothing will become one of the historical mementos of World War II. The most amusing testimonial to this wartime phenomenon is a dead-pan cartoon character who has been entertaining serviceman. His name is The Wolf. His face is familiar. The brain child of sgt. Leonard Sansone, The Wolf has become a veteran soldier in the 18 Army months. He has had the complete training program, has been shipped overseas and has seen action. But his attitude toward a two-day pass remains essentially the same.



Sgt. Leonard Sansone (1917- 1963, USA) has lightened the load for millions of G.I. guys and gals. He was working for the Yankee dollar in a New York ad agency’s art department when the roof fell in a Pearl Harbor. A few weeks later the government offered him a new smock if he would come to Fort Belvoir. After basic training he drew The Wolf as a one-shot cartoon for a local camp publication – the first appearance of that all-too-human character. The idea caught on and Sansone was syndicating his lupine glom for world-wide Camp Newspaper Service. Sansone insists that The Wolf is strictly a product of hearsay and observation. But to all working wolves and corner coyotes he wishes “Happy howling”.



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You can still find this book at Amazon.com
Cartoonbooks file 'The Wolf'