Cropped Will Cardini artwork

October 16th, 2019

For the Love of Indie Reviews Urscape #1

Filed under: Press — Tags: , — William Cardini @ 9:28 pm

Back in early September, Drew reviewed Urscape #1 in an episode of his indie comics podcast For the Love of Indie! Click here to listen via Apple Podcasts or you can read the episode notes and listen on other platforms here.

Draw talks about Urscape in the context of the larger Hyperverse mythos and says the Hyperverse “is a new Fourth World.” I’m blushing! I love Jack Kirby’s comics and his Fourth World creations are a big inspiration for my work. Thanks to a recommendation from my brother, I read the black-and-white Mister Miracle and New Gods collections back in the early aughts. Even without color, they blew me away with their inventiveness and energy. Kirby’s story of what happens after Ragnarok is visionary reimagination of mythology that he sadly was never able to complete as he intended. Fortunately I recently acquired the color trade paperbacks of New Gods, Mister Miracle, and Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen that DC released to celebrate the centenary of Kirby’s birth and they were even better in color. I hope that DC releases a similar edition of Forever People, which I haven’t had a chance to read.

It’s been a while since I’ve posted a book review on my blog but I occasionally post reviews on Goodreads. I wrote a little bit more about those three Kirby comics there. Also, if you’ve read one of my comics, I’d appreciate a rating or review! Those can really help an author out. You can see my reviews and my comics from my Author Profile.

Bonus: here’s another animated GIF I made from an Urscape page.

Urscape 1 animation of an interior page

July 30th, 2019

Urscape #1 Reviews

Filed under: Press — Tags: — William Cardini @ 7:39 am

Urscape #1, which I self-published in the spring, has accumulated a couple of reviews!

The first review is on the blog Ryan C’s Four Color Apocalypse. Here’s an excerpt:

A phantasmagoric whirlwind of impossible nightmare geometries, ever-transitory physical formations and states of being, and impenetrable pseudo-realities greets our boy Miizzz as he enters the titular Urscape, a ferociously post-giving-a-fuck updating of The King’s “Negative Zone” or “Quadrant X” with all the stops pulled out, the foot off the brake, and the accelerator weighed down with a brick.

Read the whole review here.

Urscape 1 interior photo
Photo from Ryan’s review.

The second review is on the site Optical Sloth. Here’s an excerpt:

Sometimes I wonder what would happen to me if I gathered all the William Cardini comics I’ve picked up over the years, took an afternoon and read them all in a row. I’m honestly not sure what that would do to a person. I mean that in the best possible way, of course; comic-induced madness always seemed like a likely fate for me.

Maybe I should include a warning, “May cause comics-induced madness!” on the cover of Urscape #2? Read the whole review here.

Urscape 1 interior scan
Scan from the Optical Sloth review.

You can buy Urscape #1 here.

Urscape 1 animation of an interior page
You’re not hallucinating – I created an animated GIF based on a page from Urscape.

May 10th, 2018

For the Love of Indie Interview

Filed under: Press — Tags: , , — William Cardini @ 10:25 pm

In Episode #58 of the For the Love of Indie podcast, Drew Van Genderen reviewed Tales from the Hyperverse, and then in Episode #61, he interviewed me about the comic and other relevant topics.

Crop from Tales from the Hyperverse
A panel from the last story in Tales from the Hyperverse, showing the Miizzzard’s floating head and the Floating Crystal Witch.

We discuss my history with comics, my influences, the themes of Tales from the Hyperverse, my favorite character, my character development process, the potential of Tales from the Hyperverse #2, and more!

Rainbow robot
A drawing of the rainbow robot (name TBD) for Tales from the Hyperverse #2.

Give the episode a listen here!

May 1st, 2018

For the Love of Indie Reviews Hyperverse

Filed under: Press — Tags: , — William Cardini @ 8:47 pm

The indie comics podcast For the Love of Indie has reviewed Tales from the Hyperverse in a recent episode, click here to listen via Apple Podcasts!

March 16th, 2018

Recent Reviews

Filed under: Press — Tags: , , , , — William Cardini @ 10:33 am

Two of my comics were reviewed in January!

First, my latest comic Tales from the Hyperverse entered the Reviewniverse in episode #244 of the SILENCE! podcast by the Mindless Ones out of the UK, Gary Lactus and The Beast Must Die.

SILENCE! podcast header by James Stokoe
SILENCE! podcast header by the inimitable James Stokoe.

A quote I jotted down from the Ones about TftHV is, “The color is amazing in this comic.” Also they mistakenly attribute Prism Stalker to me for a sec before realizing their error – Prism Stalker is by Sloane Leong. The first issue of that comic came out last week and it’s a psychedelic, intriguing beginning to a mind-bending SF epic! I’m looking forward to seeing where Leong takes us. Lots of other meaty stuff in that episode, you can give it a listen here.

Second, Sphere Fear AKA Sphere Hear due to my illegible fonts was reviewed on the venerable minicomics review site Optical Sloth. Here’s a quote:

I love the fact that William has been living in this Hypercastle world for roughly a decade now, and he shows no signs of slowing down. Or of making his work more “commercial,” although I have no idea what that would look like in this universe.

Read the whole review here.

One great thing about Optical Sloth is its deep archive. Bramer has been reviewing comics for years and years – he reviewed one of my first minicomics in 2009. Another great thing is that he scans each comic for his review. I hope he doesn’t mind that I’m posting his scans of Sphere Fear so y’all can see the great risograph printing by Issue Press:

Sphere Fear cover scan
Scanned by Kevin Bramer.

Sphere Fear interior scan
Scanned by Kevin Bramer.

Finally, if you’ve read my comics, please consider giving them a review at my author page on Goodreads.

January 9th, 2018

Tales from the Hyperverse in Comic Shops Tomorrow

Filed under: Press — Tags: , , , , , — William Cardini @ 7:49 am

If your local comic book shop ordered Tales from the Hyperverse through Diamond, it’ll arrive tomorrow!

In other news:

Ryan C. reviewed Hyperverse for his blog, Four Color Apocalypse.

Here’s a quote:

My only previous exposure to Cardini’s singular psychedelic abstractions was in the pages of his B&W comics ‘zine Vortex, as well as a in a couple of anthologies, but he’s claimed a territory all his own in a fairly short period of time, and he plants his flag in it more firmly than ever in the pages of his new Retrofit/Big Planet solo anthology comic, Tales From The Hyperverse, a cosmos-shredding series of interlocked (at least thematically) stories that reduces Kirby-esque interplanetary/interdimensional clashes of absolutes to its barest elements, shakes them up kaleidoscopically, and dares you to figure out exactly what comes out the other end.

San Antonio comic book shop Gotham Newsstand already has Hyperverse and my other in-print comics (because it’s run by my brother, Peter Hensel, so I make sure he keeps everything in stock) and he put Hyperverse as #3 on his list of the best stapled comics of 2017!

Here’s a quote from the write-up:

In beautiful full color (but still filled with psychedelic patterns when they can be effective!), we see a cast of warriors, rival wizards, creatures, and more of the odd universe to which his graphic novel introduced us. I can’t wait to find out more of it!

Finally there are more pages of Skew Part 4 over on Study Group!

Skew page 177
Skew Page 177.

December 19th, 2017

Alex Hoffman Reviews Tales from the Hyperverse

Filed under: Press — Tags: — William Cardini @ 10:41 am

Alex Hoffman has reviewed Tales from the Hyperverse on his comics criticism blog, Sequential State. Hoffman compares the storytelling styles of TftHV and Vortex, which he reviewed in 2015.

Here’s the summary quote from the end:

These short comics, strung together in this 32-page personal anthology, are likely Cardini’s strongest work yet. Bizarrely impersonal and naturalistic in their warped way, Tales from the Hyperverse is a dog eat dog kind of comic, and a fine cap to the Retrofit 2017 season.

September 28th, 2016

Vortex Available in Comic Shops Today!

Filed under: Press,Print Comics — Tags: — William Cardini @ 9:56 am

Vortex should be available at your local comic shops today!

The comics critic Jog has chosen Vortex as a spotlight picks for his weekly column on new releases for The Comics Journal website, here’s a screenshot:

Screenshot of This Week in Comics by Jog for The Comics Journal

If you can’t find Vortex at your shop you can ask them to order it for you.

August 23rd, 2016

Vortex is in the August Previews

Filed under: Press,Print Comics — Tags: — William Cardini @ 10:37 pm

I’m very excited to tell y’all that Vortex is on Page 269 of Previews, the Diamond comics catalogue! It’ll be on shelves in fine comic book stores across the US on October 26th September 28th.

If you’d like a copy, ask your local comic book store to order it for you before September 2nd.

Order code AUG161125.

Alternative Comics page of the August Previews

You may have noticed that these two pages are the Alternative Comics section of Previews. After Virginia Paine decided to close Sparkplug Books, Marc Arsenault of Alternative Comics inherited most of Sparkplug’s backstock. I’m grateful to Virginia for taking a chance on Vortex and all the work she did to get the Kickstarter funded and the book printed and distributed. Running a publisher as a third job is hard work and I’m glad that she’s going to be able to focus on her own awesome comics, like The WHYs, an epic webcomic about queer superpowered teens.

The reviewer Rob Clough of High-Low said goodbye to Sparkplug in a review round-up that includes Vortex.

September 9th, 2015

Inkstuds Interview

Filed under: Press — Tags: , — William Cardini @ 10:25 am

Robin McConnell of Inkstuds interviewed me about Vortex, Skew, performance art, Jack Kirby, Sphere Fear (my risograph comic debuting at SPX, published by Yeah Dude Comics), and more! Listen to it here.

I was pretty nervous about the interview but friends have assured me that it sounds fine. There were a few things that I realized afterwards I should’ve mentioned:

  • José-Luis’ last name is Olivares.
  • The friend I’m doing the final Sparkplug Books Kickstarter painting for is also a cartoonist, Jason Poland. He does the webcomic Robbie and Bobby.
  • My performance art professor Mike Smith told me about chalk talks, which combine comics and theater. The performer tells a story or joke using drawings done quickly on newsprint pads or erased and altered on a chalkboard. I did a few of those in Mike’s classes.
  • My interest in psychedelia probably stems from my anxiety disorder. My reality is already distorted compared to most people’s perceptions. The constant battling and transformations in the Hyperverse is a manifestation of my persistent worries.
  • I’m not sure what show I’ll attend after SPX, but I contributed a six-page comic to Future Shock Zero and writing to Speculative Modern Dinosaur Quarterly, both edited by Josh Burggraf and both debuting at CAB.