Leprechaun #1 1992 Trimark Pictures Promotional Movie Tie-In Comic Cover

This 10" x 15" original front cover, accomplished in ink over blue graphite by independent artist William Clausen, was used for the 1992 Trimark Pictures promotional comic book Leprechaun #1. A product of Trimark's aggressive marketing campaign at the time, participating theaters handed out copies to moviegoers leading up to the big-screen debut of Leprechaun (1993). Another newsprint edition with black borders made its way to the L.A. Comic Book and Science Fiction Convention at the Shrine Auditorium and to a signing at The Forbidden Planet bookstore.

Trimark's grassroots publicity strategy, which ranged from giving away hundreds of bendable figurines as contest prizes to having the green monster even ring the opening bell at the American Stock Exchange, helped push its first in-house theatrical production into earning $8.5 million at the box office against a budget of less than a million. The campy cult classic has since become an annual television staple around St. Patrick's Day.

Clausen modeled his cover after the movie's menacing one-sheet poster, using an opaque projector on a miniature version to nail down the dimensions. Warwick Davis, who stars in the title role, owns the corner box drawing.

Written by Clausen and Trimark sales manager Bill Sanders, with lettering by San Diego Comic-Con founder Shel Dorf, the eight-page story serves as a prequel to the events shown in the film.

Working from a rough cut of the movie, some of the comic's details differ from its final source material.

Dan O'Grady, for example, hails not from North Dakota, but from Ireland. After discovering the Leprechaun's pot of gold at the end of a rainbow on his farm, he sells the coins to a local jeweler named Shanihan before boarding a plane to America with his newfound wealth (and a new gold tooth, which attracts a certain small-statured stowaway).

Clausen and Grateful Dead illustrator Phillip Garris make cameos as two of Lep's victims who had the bad luck of purchasing some of the tainted treasure as jewelry.

Originally much gorier, Trimark ordered Clausen to tone down the level of violence, resulting in a more surrealistic take on the wee one's rampage of terror, with an emphasis on magic over mutilation--a sneak peek of what would come in the cinematic sequels.

Although Clausen had worked out an idea for a future Leprechaun issue to focus on the mythical sprite's origins, Trimark could not find an interested company to take over publication, and plans for a Warlock (1989) comic tie-in also fell through. The artist's last involvement with the horror-comedy franchise came from playing a bar scene extra in Leprechaun 2 (1994).

His other contributions include inking for Marvel Comics (Silver Surfer Annual #7) and co-creating Blackthorne Publishing's Cold-Blooded Chameleon Commandos.