Cropped Will Cardini artwork

July 24th, 2012

Vortex #3 Cover Preview

Filed under: Inspiration,Print Comics — Tags: , , , — William Cardini @ 7:06 am

I’ve started Vortex #3. Here’s a possible cover:

I’ve been looking at classic Jim Starlin mind trips for inspiration. Like Page 52 from the collection The Life and Death of Captain Marvel:


This page is from #28 of Captain Marvel. I got this scan from this blog post.

Here’s that Starlin page with Frank Santoro’s golden section diagram:

Look at how all of the lines converge in those two light blue/white panels in the center. And that center diamond perfectly frames the skull! Frank’s made me a believer!

July 10th, 2012

Comics on Sale at Domy Austin; Reviews

Filed under: Press — Tags: , , , , , , , — William Cardini @ 7:19 am

Hey ya’ll, I just dropped off the Josh Burggraf-edited psychedelic sf anthology Future Shock at Domy Books here in Austin. Check out the cover:

Future Shock cover

Future Shock is 44 full-color pages of freak out sf short stories by the main man JB, Anuj Shrestha, Pat Aulisio, myself, and Victor Kerlow, drawing comics solo and collabo. I’m really excited by what Josh has done with this, but don’t take my word for it, check some words of praise from Tim Callahan in a post-MoCCA review roundup on Comic Book Resources. The anthology is $7. I also restocked Vortex #1 and #2.

In other news, comics by both me and Burggraf got reviewed by Rob Clough on High-Low in a roundup of “odd genre minis”. Clough has this to say about Vortex #2: “Working big and using so many decorative patterns gives this issue a psychedelic feel, yet one that’s grounded in rock-solid and simple layouts.”

July 6th, 2012

Vortex #2 for Sale at Floating World and a Review

Filed under: Press,Print Comics — Tags: , , , , — William Cardini @ 7:31 am

I just sent a stack of Vortex #2 to my buddy Ryan Dirks in Portland. He took some over to Floating World Comics in Portland, so if any of y’all are there, y’all can now pick up both issues of Vortex there.


Dirks holding up a stack of V#2.

Dirks also posted some kind words about my comics: “I love how he uses space and rocks all the different tones. Everything has a melty, trippy, dreamlike quality to it, very unique.”

June 19th, 2012

Digestate Kickstarter; Two Vortex #2 Reviews

Filed under: Press,Print Comics — Tags: , , , , , , — William Cardini @ 9:59 pm

I’m contributing a short comic to the J.T. Yost-edited food-and-eating themed anthology Digestate along with a bunch of other awesome folks:

Digestate contributors
Digestate promo image by cartoonist Victor Kerlow, who also has a comic in the latest Catch Up.

Yost has already raised funds to print the anthology through Kickstarter. But if y’all want to snag a copy, throw in some bucks here in the next nine days.

I’ve also gotten two reviews of Vortex #2.

Vortex #2 Page 18
Page 18 of Vortex #2.

In Edie Fake’s review for the Quimby’s store site, he says, “Thick-like-a-brick linework barely contains another dose of filled-to-the-brim fill pattern madness.” Click here to read all of Fake’s review and order a copy from Quimby’s in Chicago if you’re so inclined.

Meanwhile, over at Optical Sloth, Kevin says, “Once again the art is amazing, as there are all kinds of creatures and objects floating around that are just begging for a more detailed description, and the story is picking up steam nicely.” Click here to read the entire review.

June 15th, 2012

Sketchbook Pages – Vortex #2 and Miscellaneous; Thickness #3 Debuts this Weekend

Filed under: Print Comics — Tags: , , , , — William Cardini @ 7:52 am

Here are two sketchbook pages. This first one started out with Vortex #2 drawings but then I just let my mind wander:

William Cardini sketchbook page

This second one is a sketch for Page 20 of Vortex #2 (you can see the final version in this preview):

William Cardini sketchbook page

Also, I almost forgot to mention, Thickness #3 is debuting this weekend at CAKE in Chicago. Sean T Collins and I collaborated on a ten-page story for it. Check it out!

June 1st, 2012

Sketchbook Pages – Hawk, Vortex #2, and Miscellaneous

Filed under: Sketchbook Pages — Tags: , , — William Cardini @ 7:47 am

Here are some sketchbook pages from the past couple months. This first page has sketches for Vortex #2, “Hawk” in Future Shock, and just some random drawings:

William Cardini sketchbook page
I really like the cat spaceship shooting lasers from its eyes to the left of the question, “Who made the Vortex?”

On this second page I was mostly brainstorming for Page 18 of Vortex #2 (also the first page of this preview of Vortex #2 (Update 1/13/2017: this link no longer works)):

William Cardini sketchbook page

May 29th, 2012

Catch Up on Sale; Kirby’s Influence on Art Comics

Filed under: Press — Tags: , , , , , , , , — William Cardini @ 7:21 am

Whew, it’s been a while since I’ve posted on this blog. I’ve gotten lost in drawing comics and I haven’t had time to put anything here but I’ve met most of my deadlines so I’m going to get back to my regular schedule of Tuesday/Friday blog posts. I’ve got two things to tell y’all about today:


Catch Up Winter Issue, cover by Max Bode.

The Catch Up Winter Issue is for sale. Josh Burggraf and I are the comics editors for this issue of the poetry/comics journal. It has comics by Box Brown, Victor Kerlow, Andrei Molotiu, Jo-Jo Sherrow, and others. You can buy it here.


A Jack Kirby drawing of a Celestial from the Eternals comics.

Robert Boyd, local Houston art critic and former Comics Journal staff member, has written a lengthy blog post discussing Kirby’s impact on art comics, in which he compares Vortex to comics by Jesse Jacobs and Jesse Moynihan. I’m honored to be discussed in such good company.

May 11th, 2012

Vortex #2 Preview

Filed under: Press,Print Comics — Tags: , — William Cardini @ 7:03 am

There’s a five-page preview of Vortex #2 on Squidface & the Meddler, click the screenshot to check it out: (Update 1/13/2017: This preview is no longer up.)

Vortex #2 preview screenshot from Squidface & the Meddler

May 3rd, 2012

Vortex #2 on Sale in my Online Store

Filed under: Press,Print Comics — Tags: , — William Cardini @ 8:18 am

I just added Vortex #2 to my online store.

Vortex #2

You can buy it individually or in a combo pack with #1 for a discount.

Vortex #1 and #2 Combo Pack

Instead of being Xeroxed, Vortex #1 and #2 were printed digitally in black by the Print Shoppe. Unfortunately, this increase in quality comes with an increase in price. But I think they look great. Look at my buddy Grant, he loves it:

Grant Davis with Vortex #2

There’s already an advance review of the first two issues of Vortex on the Novi Magazine site because it’s William Cardini takeover week there! Be warned, that review has minor plot spoilers. Check back on Novi throughout the week for more content related to me in some way.

April 24th, 2012

Double Comic Book Release Party Tomorrow Night

Filed under: Press,Print Comics — Tags: , , , — William Cardini @ 7:17 am

Just a reminder y’all, tomorrow night from 7-9pm at Domy Books in Austin is a double comic book release party for my new minicomic Vortex #2 and Melinda Tracy Boyce’s first issue of her quarterly short fiction and autobio comics collection The Melinderly. Click this flyer for more details:

Double Comic Book Release Party

Here’s the cover spread for Vortex #2:

Double Comic Book Release Party

Just like Vortex #1, #2 is 32 pages of black-and-white sf madness.