Uclick's Eisner Award App Launched

Digital entertainment provider Uclick has announced the release of a new Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards app for iPhone and iPod Touch, providing details on the 2009 Will Eisner and the Eisner Awards, as well as the entire list of award categories in a tap-and-swipe menu, with information on each creator and title, and images from their nominated works.

"We're honoured to work with the Eisner organization to bring the first ever Eisner app to the iPhone," said Uclick CEO Douglas Edwards. "This app is an excellent way for fans and industry professionals to navigate the entire list of Eisner-nominated creators and works. It's an interactive showcase that allows readers to familiarize themselves with the nominees for the industry's most distinguished award."

The Eisner Awards app is available now for free in the App Store and on iTunes and will update with icons indicating the winners in each category shortly after the voting results are announced on Friday 24th July.

"There's a great deal of anticipation and excitement within the industry leading up to the announcement of the Eisner winners," said Edwards, "and this app gives everyone the chance to be engaged and informed. The popularity of the iPhone allows us to bring even more attention to the comic industry and the awards that celebrate some of the very best work in comics."

The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards were established in 1987 and have been a part of the San Diego Comic-Con since 1990. Named for pioneering cartoonist Will Eisner, creator of the Spirit and several award-winning graphic novels, the Eisners are given to recognize outstanding achievement in graphic storytelling. The nominees are selected by a five-person committee and voted on by industry professionals. The winners are announced during a gala event each year at San Diego Comic-Con.

Eisner himself was excited by the potential of digital comics - I had the chance to speak with him briefly about it back in 2003 at the Raptus convention in Norway, one of his last convention appearances outside the US before his death in 2005. I think he'd be impressed with the way many creators are continuing to developing the comics form for mobile and web.

• To get the Eisner Awards app for iPhone and iPod Touch, search "Eisner" in the App Store or click here.