Warren Kremer (June 26, 1921 – July 24, 2003) was an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comicsComics is a graphic medium in which images are utilized in order to convey a sequential narrative; the term, derived from massive early use to convey comic themes, came to be applied to all uses of this medium including those which are far from comic...
writer and artist best-known for his creation of the
Harvey ComicsHarvey Comics was an American comic book publisher, founded by Alfred Harvey in 1941, after buying out small publisher Brookwood Publications. His brothers Robert B. Harvey and Leon Harvey joined soon after. The company soon got into licensed characters, which by the 1950s, became the bulk of...
characters Richie Rich,
Hot Stuff the Little DevilHot Stuff the Little Devil is a comic book character who first appeared in Hot Stuff #1, published by Harvey Comics in October 1957. The character didn't first appear as a back-up feature in another book or receive a trial run in Harvey Hits...
and Stumbo the Giant. His style is known for big, bold
compositionIn the visual arts — in particular painting, graphic design, photography and sculpture — composition is the placement or arrangement of visual elements or ingredients in a work of art, as distinct from the subject of a work...
s, and a keen sense of
contrastContrast is the difference in visual properties that makes an object distinguishable from other objects and the background. In visual perception of the real world, contrast is determined by the difference in the color and brightness of the object and other objects within the same field of view...
and
colorColor or colour is the visual perceptual property corresponding in humans to the categories called red, yellow, blue and others. Color derives from the spectrum of light interacting in the eye with the spectral sensitivities of the light receptors...
.
Childhood and early career
Kremer was born in the Bronx, the son of a sign painter. He counted
Alex RaymondAlexander Gillespie Raymond was an American cartoonist, best known for creating Flash Gordon for King Features in 1934...
's
Flash GordonSteven "Flash" Gordon is the hero of a science fiction adventure comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond, which was first published on January 7, 1934. The strip was inspired by and created to compete with the already established Buck Rogers adventure strip. Also inspired by these series were...
and
Hal FosterHarold Rudolf Foster was a Canadian-American cartoonist most famous as the creator of the comic strip Prince Valiant.-Biography:...
's
Prince ValiantPrince Valiant in the Days of King Arthur, or simply Prince Valiant, is a long-run comic strip created by Hal Foster in 1937. It is an epic adventure that has told a continuous story during its entire history, and the full stretch of that story now totals more than 3700 Sunday strips...
among his influences.
He graduated from the High School of Music and Art and the School of Industrial Arts in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
. Kremer then did layout, lettering, and illustrations for
pulpPulp magazines were inexpensive fiction magazines. They were widely published from 1896 through the 1950s. The term pulp fiction can also refer to mass market paperbacks since the 1950s....
and aviation magazines for ten years. He gradually took on more comics work in Ace Publications, his first title being "
Hap Hazard". He married that title's
lettererA letterer is a member of a team of comic book creators responsible for drawing the comic book's text. The letterer crafts the comic's "display lettering": the story title lettering and other special captions and credits that usually appear on a story's first page. The letterer also writes the...
, Grace. Due to a
herniaA hernia is protrusion of an organ or the muscular wall of an organ through the cavity that normally contains it. A hiatal hernia occurs when the stomach protrudes upwards into the mediastinum through the esophageal opening in the diaphragm.-Pathophysiology:...
, Kremer did not serve in
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Harvey Comics (1948 - 1982)
Steve Mufatti, a friend and colleague of Kremer's, had a part in getting him work at Harvey Comics, starting with freelance work in 1948. With
Alfred HarveyAlfred Harvey was the founder of comic book publisher Harvey Comics and the creator of comic book characters Little Dot, Richie Rich, and Adam Awards....
, publisher, and editor Sid Jacobson, Kremer created or defined many of the most well-known Harvey characters, including Casper,
Hot StuffHot Stuff the Little Devil is a comic book character who first appeared in Hot Stuff #1, published by Harvey Comics in October 1957. The character didn't first appear as a back-up feature in another book or receive a trial run in Harvey Hits...
,
Joe PalookaJoe Palooka was an American comic strip about a heavyweight boxing champion, created by cartoonist Ham Fisher. With various assistants and successors, the strip lasted for over half a century with spin-offs to radio, movies, television and merchandising....
,
Little AudreyLittle Audrey is a fictional character, appearing in Paramount Pictures' Famous Studios cartoons from 1947 to 1958. She is considered a variation of the better-known Little Lulu, devised after Paramount decided not to renew the license on Marjorie Henderson Buell's comic strip character...
, Little Max,
Richie RichRichard "Richie" Rich, Jr. is a fictional character that debuted in Harvey Comics' Little Dot #1, cover-dated September 1953. The first Richie Rich comic appeared in November 1960.-Character:...
, and Stumbo the Giant. Kremer also excelled at realistic treatments, producing top-quality work for Harvey's romance, war, and horror genre titles. He was the top artist at Harvey, where he worked for 35 years mostly as an Art Editor.
In addition to his regular pencilling, Kremer contributed animation
storyboardStoryboards are graphic organizers such as a series of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence, including website interactivity....
s, pencilled,
inkedThe inker is one of the two line artists in a traditional comic book or graphic novel. After the penciler gives a drawing to the inker, the inker uses black ink to produce refined outlines over the pencil lines...
and
colouredIn comics, a colorist is responsible for adding color to black-and-white line art.The improvements in the technology used for coloring have had a great impact on the way comics are drawn...
most of the thousands of covers for every one of Harvey's humour titles. According to Sid Jacobson, Kremer could produce 8 pages of interior pencils a day at his most productive. Artists in the Harvey humor department were instructed to emulate Kremer's style as closely as they could.
Later career (1983 - 2003)
After Harvey ended publication in 1982, Kremer created and/or drew several characters for
Marvel ComicsMarvel Publishing, Inc., a company doing business as Marvel Comics, produces American comic books and related media. It forms a subsidiary of Marvel Entertainment, Inc....
'
Star ComicsStar Comics was an imprint of Marvel Comics that began in 1984 and continued to publish comic books until early 1988. Several titles begun under the Star imprint continued under the Marvel brand...
line, including
Count DuckulaCount Duckula is a British animated television series created by British studio Cosgrove Hall, and a spin-off from DangerMouse, a show in which the Count Duckula character was a recurring villain. The series first aired on September 6, 1988 and was produced by Thames Television for 3 seasons and...
, Ewoks,
Planet TerryPlanet Terry was an American science fiction comic book aimed at young children. Published by Star Comics, an imprint of Marvel Comics, the title lasted 12 issues, from April 1985 to March 1986...
,
Royal RoyRoyal Roy: A Prince of a Boy was a short-lived comic book title from the Marvel Comics younger readers' imprint Star Comics; it lasted six issues.-Publication history:...
, and Top Dog. In 1989, a
strokeA stroke is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by thrombosis or embolism or due to a hemorrhage...
left him paralyzed on his left side, which included his
drawing handLeft-handedness is the preference for the left hand over the right for everyday activities such as writing. Most left-handed people exhibit some degree of ambidexterity...
. He attempted to use his right hand, but was so discouraged with the results that he stopped drawing altogether.
Kremer lived in
Bloomfield, N.J.Bloomfield is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the township population was 47,683.-History:...
, and died in a hospital
Glen Ridge, N.J.Glen Ridge is a borough in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2000 Census, the borough population was 7,271. Glen Ridge's public school system is one of the top-ranked in the state....
following a short illness. He was survived by his wife, Grace, two sons, Richard W. (after whom Richie Rich was named) and Peter R.; two daughters, Maryanne Kremer-Ames and Suzanne Petrozzino; a sister, Anita Sudol; and two grandchildren.
Legacy
Artist
Marie SeverinMarie Severin is an American comic book artist and colorist best known for her work for Marvel Comics and the 1950s' EC Comics....
remarked upon a visit Kremer made to the Marvel Comics bullpen "They don't know it, but this is the best artist who ever walked through these doors." Animator Marty Taras said "You know, if Warren went into animation, we'd all have to leave our jobs!"
Digital
External links