Comic book artist MICHAEL TURNER has lost his battle with cancer at the age of 37.

He died from complications related to bone cancer at a hospital in Santa Monica, California on 27 June (08).

Turner drew covers for popular comic book titles including Superman/Batman, The Flash, Civil War and Justice League.

He also created online comics for the hit U.S. TV series Heroes, and published a number of his own titles, such as Fathom, via his company Aspen MLT.

Paying tribute to Turner, Andrew Farago, the curator of San Francisco's Cartoon Art Museum, says, "He was definitely one of the most popular and influential comic book artists working right now.

"He was very, very much in demand as a cover artist on high-profile projects."