Fans from around the world have banded together online to remember comic book legend Stan Lee, who died on Monday at the age of 95.
Lee was the writer and editor behind Marvel Comics superheroes such as Spider-Man, Iron Man and The Hulk, and some artists have memorialised Lee as part of the Marvel universe through their art.
A few of them depict Lee's band of superhero creations looking sombre while bidding him farewell.
American editorial cartoonist Andy Marlette on Tuesday tweeted an illustration of superheroes Black Panther, Thor, The Thing, Spider-Man, Iron Man and The Hulk solemnly carrying Lee's coffin.
Another drawing, by Twitter user Douglas Fresh, has other characters such as Wolverine and Doctor Strange gathering before Lee's coffin, which is draped in American colours and inscribed with his trademark sign-off, "Excelsior".
The Latin word, which means "ever upward", has long been Lee's catchphrase and is the title of his autobiography.
One of the more popular tribute art pieces shared online was by Californian comic and storyboard artist Charlotte Norris, 23, who offered a moving rendition of the cover of Death Of Spider-Man.
The original edition has a maskless Spider-Man walking into the afterlife with his arms around Uncle Ben, who says, "You did good, kid."
In Norris' piece, Spider-Man is the one saying the words to Lee instead.
Many other pieces involve the web-slinging character, who is one of Lee's most iconic creations.
British illustrator Del Thorpe posted a caricature of a young boy drawing Spider-Man, along with the message: "Thank you Stan Lee & all the artists who inspired so many children to start drawing. RIP Stan Lee".
Another drawing by Taiwanese artist Jun Chiu makes reference to the ending of Avengers: Infinity War and shows Lee doodling at his desk as his hand starts to dissolve.
The accompanying caption reads: "Maybe we will forget many heroes, but we will always remember the man who created the heroes."
Marvel: From bankruptcy to a multi-billion-dollar empire
NEW YORK • In a little more than 20 years, Marvel has gone from a company that declared bankruptcy in 1996, as the comic book industry waned, to a global empire generating billions of dollars a year.
The following is a look at the wide-ranging activities of the group, which for decades was led by Stan Lee, who died on Monday at age 95.
It is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Disney, which bought it for US$4 billion in 2009.
FILMS
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a lucrative one: Over the past decade, from Iron Man in 2008 through this year's Ant-Man And The Wasp, 20 Marvel films have hit the big screen.
In total, the Marvel Studios productions have raked in a whopping US$6.8 billion (S$9.4 billion)in North America alone, according to industry tracker Box Office Mojo.
According to calculations by Agence France-Presse, based on figures from Box Office Mojo, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and Forbes, the films have earned US$17.5 billion, against US$3.59 billion in production costs (excluding marketing).
So far, three new titles are in the works next year: Captain Marvel, starring Oscar winner Brie Larson, in March; the latest chapter in the Avengers saga in May; and Spider-Man: Far From Home in July.
These totals do not include other films based on Marvel heroes that were produced under licensing deals (Spider-Man at Sony or the X-Men series and Deadpool at 20th Century Fox).
TELEVISION
For decades, Marvel has produced animated television series featuring its cast of characters, but changed tack in 2012 after a deal with streaming giant Netflix, shifting to live-action dramas.
Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist have all aired on the platform.
Marvel's current deal with Netflix reportedly stipulates that the streaming giant pays Disney US$300 million a year for the right to propose exclusive TV series, as well as films.
The deal will come to an end next year when Disney launches its own dedicated Marvel platform.
Another TV highlight is Marvel's Agents Of Shield, which has aired for five seasons on broadcast network ABC and will return next year.
VIDEO GAMES
Marvel has produced its own licensed video games for more than 35 years, but it reached a partnership deal with Japanese gamemaker Square Enix last year.
Spider-Man - a game produced by Insomniac Games in concert with Sony Entertainment (that licensing deal again) - ranks second in sales for the Sony PlayStation 4 console this year, according to specialised website VGChartz, with 4.6 million copies sold. The going US price is US$60.
COMIC BOOKS
Though they are no longer the core of Marvel's business as they were in the early 1960s, actual comic books remain an essential part of the group's DNA.
Each month, a plethora of new titles are published, exploring new adventures for iconic characters or creating universes with new heroes.
TOYS AND OTHER LICENSED PRODUCTS
Marvel's heroes are featured on everything from action figures and board games to T-shirts, Halloween costumes, shoes and watches. Suitcases, backpacks and cellphone cases are also part of the empire.
LIVE SHOWS
Since July 2014, Feld Entertainment has been licensed to produce Marvel Universe Live! - a live-action show featuring superheroes and villains played by actors, performing stunts in a scripted extravaganza.
More than 40 dates are set for the show's tour next year.
AMUSEMENT PARKS
In May last year, Disney opened the stomach-churning Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: Breakout! ride at its campus of amusement parks in Anaheim, California.
In March this year, Marvel announced that other dedicated theme areas would be created at Disney World in Florida, Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland in the coming years.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
