Uclick has added IDW’s graphic novel version of Clive Barker’s The Thief of Always to its rapidly growing line of comic book titles optimized for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Like the children lured to Mister Hood’s Holiday House in the novel, once fans begin reading this engrossing tale, presented in vibrant color and rich detail on their iPhone screens, they too will find it impossible to leave.

Creator of the well-known horror films Hellraiser, Nightbreed and Lord of Illusions, and author of more than a dozen horror novels and short story collections, Clive Barker has long been considered a master of the horror genre. Barker originally published The Thief of Always in 1992 as a fable for young readers. The novel was serialized as a graphic novel in 2005 by IDW Publishing, with story adaptation by Kris Oprisko and art by Gabriel Hernandez. All three installments of The Thief of Always are now available on the iPhone App Store for only 99 cents each.

“We feel very fortunate to once again be working with IDW and now Clive Barker,” said Uclick CEO Douglas Edwards in a release.  “Mr. Barker is a legend and literary genius. We are honored to bring his masterpiece to millions of fans on the iPhone through the Uclick graphic story player.”

“The Thief of Always graphic novel is based on one of Clive Barker’s most popular stories,” IDW’s CEO Ted Adams said. “We’re very excited that this critically acclaimed title is now available for readers to download on the iPhone through the App Store. This is a great new way for fans to experience some of the best work in comics.”

The Thief of Always is the tale of Harvey Swick, an average boy bored with school until he receives a visit from an otherworldly stranger. Mister Rictus invites Harvey to Mr. Hood’s Holiday House, a child’s paradise where, Rictus declares, Harvey will find everything his heart desires. The Holiday House proves to be all Rictus promised, but Harvey soon discovers that its pleasures come at a heavy price.

Uclick continues to add to its already diverse collection of popular graphic novels and webcomics available on the iPhone App Store. IDW Publishing’s adaptation of the beloved Clive Barker fable joins Jeff Smith’s Bone, the cosmic sci-fi superhero series GODLAND, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles anthology series Tales of the TMNT, and webcomics Pibgorn and Basic Instructions.
 

Wizards of the Coast is the latest genre publisher to announce layoffs, in this case, it was the game company’s second round this year.  Among those terminated were VP of Digital Gaming Randy Buehler, Director of Digital Games Andrew Finch, Creative Manager of Digital Design William Meyers, and Online Community Manager Jennifer Paige according to ICv2.

A WotC spokesperson told the trade website, “Wizards of the Coast consolidated its digital game organizations to streamline execution of digital growth strategies for core brands.”

“Consolidating internal resources coupled with improved outsourcing allows us to gain efficiencies in executing against our major digital initiatives Magic Online and D&D Insider,” Wizards of the Coast President Greg Leeds added..  “Wizards of the Coast is well positioned to maximize future opportunities, including further brand development on digital platforms.  The result of this consolidation is a more streamlined approach to driving core brands.”

Simon & Schuster laid off 35 people yesterday including Senior Editor Marco Palmieri.  Palmieri, a former DC Comics marketing staffer, joined Pocket and successfulyl edited Star Trek novels in addition to helping Pocket expand its media tie-in operations to incude Blizzard’s RPG titles and Marvel’s super-heroes.  Margaret Clark, another former DC staffer, is now solely responsible for the media tie-in line along with editors Jennifer Heddle and Ed Schlesinger.
 

Apple has announced that Warner Bros.’ The Dark Knight is the most downloaded film of the year from its iTunes store. The movie is not yet available but pre-orders have pushed it to the top of the charts according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The iTunes list also says Gossip Girl was the television series with the most Season Pass orders at $39.99 a season. Family Guy, South Park Uncensored, Grey’s Anatomy and Mad Men round out the top five.

Apple said the top songs this year are "Bleeding Love" by Leona Lewis and "Viva la Vida" by Coldplay. The latter’s album by the same name is the year’s best-selling album download.

Here’s the top 10 movie list and tell us if you’re surprised. We’re not.

1. The Dark Knight
2. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
3. Twilight
4. The Incredible Hulk
5. Iron Man
6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
7. Wanted
8. Hancock
9. Sex and the City
10. Kung Fu Panda