Publishing Innovation Award nominees include Valentine, Robot 13 and Clown Commandos

Every arena of human endeavour seems to generate its own awards - and why should digital publsihing be any different? Digital Book World has released its longlist for the inaugural Publishing Innovation Awards, which has a specific category for comics.

Nominated are Clown Commandos #1 (from Big Red Boot Entertainment), Disney Epic Mickey Digicomics (Disney Publishing Worldwide), the Motion Comic SUPERARE (Amo Tarzi), Operation Ajax (Cognito Comics and Tall Chair, see yesterday's news story), Tumor (Archaia Studios Press) and Robot 13 by Thomas Hall and Daniel Bradford and Valentine by Alex de Campi and Christine Larse, both released by Robot Comics).

The Publishing Innovation Awards recognizes the best ebooks and book apps based on their merits in the areas of origination, development, production, design, and marketing.

Clown Commandos, produced by Big Red Boot Entertainment, is the creation of Michael Anthony Steele and Scott McFadden. It's set in an alternate universe where clowns evolved into elite soldiers, who become heroes must survive in a reality where clowns are known as bumbling buffoons. For more about the comic, which features interactive sound effects visit ClownCommandos.com

Disney Epic Mickey Digicomics lets the reader select one of the six Disney Epic Mickey – Tales of Wasteland Digicomics and discover Disney Epic Mickey’s world in a prequel to the videogame storyline. You can read the story on autoplay or tap into the panels to move throughout the page. Readers also have the option to take a look at the map of Wasteland, the trailer of the videogame, character files and production interviews.  The latest version offers over 60 pages of comic retelling of the videogame. More info at: www.disney.co.uk/digicomics

Featured by Apple in its New and Notesworthy section on the iTunes store, Superare by Amo Tarzi is a motion comic combining comics with and animations for the iPad! "This new approach maintains the traditional comic book format, layout and reading experience," says Amo, "but expanding it with visually rich animations and a true panel by panel experience.
Superare (from the Latin, "to hurdle") is the story of a man who after losing his wife in a tragical accident now dithers between handling the past and it taking him over... For more info go to: http://amotarzi.com/superare/A_Motion_Comic.html

Operation Ajax by Daniel Burwen and Mike de Seve based on the work of best-selling author Stephen Kinzer. It's the graphic retelling of the 1953 CIA-sponsored coup in Iran,  and the iPad app's offer plenty of interactive enhancements to the traditional graphic novel experience to bring you into the lives and minds of the people who built the new world order.More info here in our recent news story or visit Cognito Comics web site at: http://cognitocomics.com

Tumor is a comic app for Kindle by Joshua Hale Fialkov and Noel Tuazon, the Harvey Award nominated creators of the critically acclaimed Elk's Run. Also published in print by Archaia Comics, the eight issue comic is dark Los Angeles noir, centring on Frank Armstrong, who has an inoperable, terminal brain tumor. In his final days, with his body, senses, and mind failing him, he’s going to do the one thing that he’s never been able to do before… save the girl. More info at: http://www.archaia.com/blog/titles/tumor

Robot 13 by Daniel Bradford and Thomas Hall is part sci-fi action, part Lovecraftian horror, the story of an ancient robotic hero salvaged from the ocean floor and forced to fight his way through a menagerie of mythical monsters as he journeys to discover who he really is.
It was the first comic on either iTunes or Android to combine frame-by-frame animation, a wide-range of transition effects, and vibration into a single package. It was also the first independent label mobile comic to surpass 200,000 downloads on both Android and iTunes. More info at www.robotcomics.net

Valentine by Alex de Campi and Christine Larsen is the historical-fiction supernatural adventure that pits French calvary officer Valentine against an unholy horde as he battles his way through a desolate Russian landscape during the War of 1812.  Valentine was the first comic to be published in a ground-breaking 13 different languages simultaneously upon its debut.
It is one of first and few mobile comic publishers who offer titles specifically designed and formatted to be read on e-devices. For more info, read our new story from September last year or check out the brilliant Valentine web site at: www.valentinethecomic.com.

• The top 5 finalists or the Publishing Innovation Awards will be announced on Monday (17th January) and organizers at the Digital Book World 2011 Conference + Expo will present the inaugural Publishing Innovation Awards in five categories – Fiction, Non-Fiction, Reference, Children’s, and Comics — during their opening ceremony on 24th January at the Sheraton Hotel & Towers in New York.