Comics sure are something.

It's like there's this universal law that anything popular enough, aimed at children and younger readers, will at some point inspire a dark subversive take or 'evil twin' of itself. Air Pirate Funnies, Bring Me the Head of Charlie Brown, Tijuana Bibles if you're feeling spicy, etc.

I especially like the dead jack-in-the-box in the upper left corner with an arrow sticking out of him. 😂

i had assumed casper was richie rich but dead

My mother totally confiscated this from me and forbade me from ever buying another issue. She was so horrified! Also, I think I was like eight years old, so ..

Worst origin story I heard involved Richie Rich’s parents killing him for his life insurance

Wow. That was freakin’ dark. And hilarious.

CASPER publisher Leon Harvey was genuinely upset and baffled by the story. He insisted Casper wasn’t the spirit of a dead kid but a different life form.

—by Marv Wolfman, Marie Severin and John Costanza, 1974

Absolutely had this ish.

Zack Snyder's Kaspar. Coming 2026.