Jim Steranko Pens Heartfelt Tribute to Stan Lee

Tributes for the late great Stan Lee keep popping up all over the internet and earlier tonight, comic book icon Jim Steranko used his platform to post a lengthy, heartfelt tribute to his former colleague.

Taking to Twitter, Steranko shared his thoughts and memories about working Lee in a series of tweets.

"It's been a dark week, knowing I'll never have the opportunity again to create, laugh, fight, and remake the four-color world BETTER with my ol' pal Stan!" Steranko tweeted. "The End of an Era, a difficult—if inevitable—position to accept, let alone embrace!"

"Stan added a DYNAMIC THIRD DIMENSION to standard two-dimension characters—and blazed a precendent-smashing path into other mediums like no one had done before him!"

Steranko first entered the comics industry at 1957, getting a job inking art by Vince Colletta and Matt Baker before receiving assignments from Joe Simon at Harvey Comics. Steranko first worked with Lee on a series of Strange Tales comics featuring Nick Fury in the mid 1960s. Steranko eventually went on to land the main gig on Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD, where he on to draw psychedelic art.

Many of Steranko's covers on Nick Fury have become hot collector's items with silver-age comic book aficionados and the creator was named to the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2006.

"Stan became the HEART, the VOICE, and the MESSIAH of the Superhero Phenomenon — recognized and lauded around the world!" Steranko continued. "It's hard to believe he allowed me to be a thorn in his side for more than half a century!"

"I Shared a substantial degree of my creative life—and some of my real life— with Stan! He did the same with me! Even though I was AGAINST THE TRADITIONAL MARVEL GRAIN, he not only put up with me, but apparently saw something that he liked."

Steranko continued his comments — and stories — throughout several tweets which can be seen in their entirety on his Twitter profile.

Lee passed away earlier this week at the age of 95. He was preceded in death by his wife Joan and the two are survived by their daughter J.C.