A Marvel Comics artist has been chosen as Cork’s very own Superman for the month of July.

East Cork native Will Sliney has been chosen as Cork Person of the Month for his work on the likes of 2Spider-Man," "Avengers" and "X-Men."

Sliney, based in his home village of Ballycotton, is one of the world’s top animation artists.

The Irish Times reports that he has worked for some of the biggest illustration companies in the world of animation, storyboards and video games.

A graduate from the multi-media course at Cork Institute of Technology, Sliney has been surprised by his latest honor.

He tweeted: “Completely shocked and so honoured by this.”

Also known for his work on "Star Wars," "Mac Gyver" and Jim Henson’s "Farscape," Sliney recently published his first book.

"The Legend of Cu Chulainn," the first in a Celtic Warriors trilogy by Sliney, has been published by O’Brien Press and featured on The Irish Times best sellers list.

The report says a sequel on Fionn Mac Cumhaill is due to follow shortly.

Sliney has also drawn a series of Cork Legends for a mural on a wall in the city.

Jack Lynch, Michael Collins, Roy Keane, Rory Gallagher, Sonia O’Sullivan and Christy Ring all feature on the mural.

Writing on his own blog, Sliney added: “In what came as a huge shock to me, I am delighted and humbled to say that I’ve been awarded Cork Person of the Month.

“This is a huge honour for me and firstly I want to thank Manus O’Callaghan and everybody who is involved in the awards.

“As everybody who knows me knows, I work in an industry where I literally can work from anywhere as long as I have an internet connection.

“But the truth is, I love Cork so much that I can’t even think about living anywhere else.

“While the scenery can be breathtaking at times (shout out to Ballycotton), it really is the people of Cork that makes it such a great place for me.”

Keen to promote Cork as a base for work and life, Sliney added: “I’ve had book launches and illustrations exhibiting all over the world, but I will never forget the support I got at my first book launch in Cork last year.

“There was a huge mixture of family, friends and fans of the book that provided such an overwhelming sense of support. It really is a county where you are always greeted with a smile that is backed up by genuine encouragement and well wishes.

“Of course, this award would not have been possible without the backing of so many publishers over the years, none so more than Marvel.

“The opportunity they have given me to work on 'Spider-Man' has helped me have my work shown all over the world and they truly have been a great company to work for. Everton, you folks aren’t half bad either!

“But really for me, the best thing about this award is that hopefully it will continue spreading the word that the time of Irish illustration is now.

“As a nation, we are just starting to make our mark on the world. Right now the major world wide companies are specifically coming to Ireland for our quality and professionalism, which is only helped by the Irish charm

“They have listened to our music, watched our movies and read our books over the last century. But as it was a thousand years ago, in the times of the great illustrated books, like Kells, Leinster and Durrow, the rest of the world is starting to take notice and has begun invading for our illustrative talents. The only difference is, this time, they come bearing gifts!

“As for my own work, I’m just at the start of what I’m hoping will be a career defining Spider-Man 2099 run.

“There will be a lot more illustrations for Everton football club too so I expect to be in the crowd cheering on the likes of Seamus Coleman.

“And last but not least, Hollywood has come knocking, so there will be more on that in the future!”