Gas Mask Nation

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By Gennifer Weisenfeld *97

Published March 27, 2023

Feelings of loss, horror, and anxiety are among the emotions most often associated with war, but in her latest book Weisenfeld challenges readers to consider a more nuanced reality. Gas Mask Nation (The University of Chicago Press) explores the pleasurable visual culture of Japanese civil air defense (called bōkū). Through a variety of artworks, photographs, cartoons, posters, and more, Weisenfeld highlights the pleasure, desire, wonder, creativity, and humor that were present throughout Japanese culture during World War II. 

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The October 2025 cover of PAW, featuring an illustration of a woman dressed like Superman, but the S on her chest is a dollar sign.
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