Stan Lee’s imagination has certainly given way to a fair share of blockbuster entertainments on the screen. And the comic movie feeding frenzy that started with “X-Men” in 2000 and dominated the last decade owes plenty to him.

So, I guess it makes sense for the Visual Effects Society (VES) to tap Lee for the group’s Lifetime Achievement Award. The honor comes on the heels of the announcement that Douglas Trumbull will receive the Georges Méliès Award.

“As a writer there is nothing more rewarding than to see your creations brought to life on the screen,” Lee said via press release. “I am indebted to all of the incredibly talented artists who have contributed to my projects.”

Those artists, by the way, include Bryan Singer, Sam Raimi, Ang Lee, Louis Leterrier, Joe Johnston, Jon Favreau, Kenneth Branagh and, shortly, Joss Whedon, among others. Quite the roll call. Alright, I guess I’ll mention Mark Steven Johnson, Rob Bowman, Brett Ratner and Albert Pyun, too.

Said VES chairman Jeffrey A. Okun, “Stan Lee’s imagination has created a completely original and profitable niche in the entertainment world and has allowed visual effects to flex its muscle in service to it! Thanks to Mr. Lee’s fantastic creations and amazing stories he not only created a future filled with gadgets and inventions that we aspire to create for real — but all while inspiring the minds and imaginations of storytellers, visual effects artists and computer wizards everywhere.”

Recent recipients of the award have included George Lucas, Robert Zemeckis, Steven Spielberg and James Cameron. The 9th annual VES Awards will take place on February 1, 2011.