Warren Kremer, 82; Cartoonist Drew Casper the Ghost, Richie Rich

Warren Kremer, 82, the prolific Harvey Comics artist who drew the “poor little rich kid” Richie Rich, Casper the Friendly Ghost and other popular characters, died July 24 of undisclosed causes in Glen Ridge, N.J.

Kremer was a pulp magazine illustrator when he joined Harvey Comics in the late 1940s. Over the next 35 years, he became the comic publisher’s top artist. He is credited with transforming a mournful Casper into his familiar cherubic form, as well as turning out Stumbo the Giant and Hot Stuff, the baby devil that has long been a favorite of tattoo artists.

Kremer also worked on Harvey’s line of horror comics, including Black Cat and Tomb of Terror, and was considered one of the most prolific artists of comic book covers. His notorious early 1950s cover for Tomb of Terror showing a bursting head was among the graphic images that led to a 1954 congressional investigation of comic books.

Born in the Bronx, N.Y., Kremer graduated from the High School of Music and Art and the School of Industrial Arts in New York City.