Earlier in the week, the news broke that South Korean illustrator Kim Jung Gi passed away at the age of 47. Kim, according to his US agent, had experienced chest pains in France as he was preparing to take a flight to New York, and died after being transported to a hospital.
Kim was expected to have an Artist Alley table at New York Comic-Con this weekend prior to his passing. Over the weekend, the table has since become a memorial where fans have left flowers, drawn illustrations, and signed the table skirt with well-wishes. io9 took pictures of the table, which you can see below.
Born in the Seoul suburb of Goyang on February 7, 1975, Kim’s first published work as an illustrator was the story Funny Funny in the pages of Young Jump Magazine. Following that, he taught art at private schools and universities while simultaneously working at the art studio SuperAni. His first collaboration with another artist would come with writer Seung-Jin Park’s Tiger the Long Tail in 2008. Other collaborations would go on to include Belgian artist Jean-David Morvan (2014’s SpyGames comics), Riot Games for League of Legends, and a variant cover for Marvel Comics’ Civil War II event in 2016.
Prior to being an artist, Kim served in the Republic of Korea Army, and attributed that service time to his ability to have a strong visual memory for weapons and vehicles. He was best known for being able to draw scenes featuring large crowds in a handful of hours. He’d often do this in front of a live audience, and would narrate his process.
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During his time as a teacher, he would frequently tell students to “imagine the memorable moment of the day,” and to combine mental images with what they saw while out and about. In 2020, he attempted the Guinness world record for “longest drawing by an individual for the Fisheye Art.” During that 4 day, 20-hour process, he created art that depicted the “living heritage of Penang.”
In addition to fans, both Marvel and DC Comics’ Jim Lee, along with other industry professionals, have given tributes to Kim. Additionally, New York Comic-Con published a small statement that was placed in a sign at his table. “[Kim] was a pioneering visual artist, and having him at our events was always an honor,” the organization wrote. “You couldn’t watch him live draw without being in complete wonderment, but more inspiring was his appreciation and kindness towards his fans and peers.”
“Our hearts are with his friends and family at this time.”
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