Kim Jung Gi

• Native Name — 김정기 • Born — 7 February 1975 • Birthplace — Goyang, South Korea • Died — 3 October 2022 • Place of death — Paris, France • Education — Dong-Eui University • Website — kimjunggi.net/

Kim was born in 1975 in Goyang, a suburb of Seoul. He was inspired to begin drawing after viewing an illustration from Dr. Slump, a manga drawn by Akira Toriyama. In school, his teachers often chastised him for not paying attention, as he was busy doodling in his notes. At the age of 19, he pursued a fine arts education at Dong-Eui University, located in Busan: until he studied here he had not learned the mathematical principles of perspective, something he had previously done by intuition. Kim also served in the Republic of Korea Army; in some interviews, he stated that his time in the army allowed him to build a strong visual memory of a wide array of weapons, vehicles and army situations which he was able to recall in his illustrations.

When Kim began his career as an artist between the years 2000 and 2001, his works were primarily military-related. According to his official biography, his first published work was Funny Funny, which ran in the Korean magazine Young Jump between 2002 and 2003. Early in his career, Kim felt pressured to draw in the style of Japanese manga, which was popular at the time. However, as tastes changed in South Korea, he managed to become well-known for his personal style of art. In 2001, he chose "Kim Jung Gi" as his "English name" over his legal name, Kim Jung Ki, because "Gi" was "more visually appealing." Kim frequently collaborated with other writers and illustrators. His first collaboration was with the writer Seung-Jin Park, for whom he illustrated Tiger the Long Tail. Kim also collaborated more than once with the French comics artist Jean-David Morvan: in 2014 he provided the illustrations for Morvan's SpyGames comics, and in 2016 did the same for McCurry, NYC, 9/11. In 2017, Kim collaborated with the Japanese illustrator Katsuya Terada, one of his own favorite artists. Besides these collaborations, Kim also provided illustrations for many other properties, including variant covers for Civil War II and 10th-anniversary illustrations for League of Legends. He also claimed to have been working on a project with Katsuhiro Otomo. • Illustration — Mural by Kim Jung Gi on the facade of the Centre for Comics and Interactive Narrative in Łódź Kim also taught art at universities and private schools. He worked for the art studio SuperAni and taught at the AniChanga Art School, which he co-founded with Kim Hyun-jin. He also taught at and provided video content for the Kazone Art Academy, a private secondary art school located in Los Angeles. In 2021, Kim designed a mural for the newly established Centre for Comics and Interactive Narrative in Łódź. His complex design was transferred onto the facades of the building's cooling towers. The artist designed an elaborate, monochromatic composition – a black-and-white drawing telling a story which visitors can follow, starting at the entrance to the building. The mural is a permanent feature of the museum facade. In 2022, the artist was also a guest at the International Festival of Comics and Games in Łódź. Kim died in Paris of a heart attack on October 3rd 2022, after experiencing chest pains. He was diabetic.

On 17 October 2023, a museum dedicated to Kim was opened in Paju, South Korea. The artist left behind more than 6,000 works. • 2023/24: Kim Jung Gi Live (17 October 2023 – 17 April 2024) • 2024/25: Filling and Emptiness (1 May 2024 – 1 February 2025)

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Kim Jung Gi is recorded as comics artist, illustrator, penciller and lecturer.

The following is an incomplete list of works Kim has authored or contributed to:

• (illustrations) • (illustrations) • (cover artwork) • (variant covers) • (cover artwork)