Kim Jung Gi, TLT creator and Civil War II cover artist, dies at 47

Celebrated South Korean artist Kim Jung Gi, the creator of the manwha Tiger the Long Tail (TLT), has passed away at age 47. His longtime collaborator Hyun Jin Kim posted to Jung Gi's social media about his death.

"It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we inform you of the sudden passing of Kim Jung Gi," he wrote. "After finishing his last schedule in Europe, Jung Gi went to the airport to fly to New York, where he experienced chest pains and was taken to a nearby hospital for surgery, but sadly passed away. After having done so much for us, you can now put down your brushes. Thank you Jung Gi."

Jung Gi's work is currently on exhibit at the Daniel Maghen Gallery in Paris, and will remain there until October 8 at the request of his family.

The Daniel Maghen Gallery posted to Instagram, "It is with a great sadness that we inform you of the death of Kim Jung Gi on Monday evening in Paris. The South Korean artist died after a heart attack at the age of 47. His sudden disappearance contrasts with the immense happiness he brought us.

"We are speechless. Daniel Maghen, the entire gallery team, and particularly Olivier Souillé, who had accompanied him for 0 years, are terribly affected by his loss. All our thoughts are turned to his family, his wife and his two children, his friends, his collaborators Kim Hyun Jin, Boin Lee, Jean-Christophe Caurette… and his fans, for whom his disappearance will leave a great void."

Jung Gi was meant to fly to New York City to man his Artists' Alley table at New York Comic Con. In addition to creating the TLT manwha, he also drew comics for Jump magazine and illustrated novels.

In 2016, he created eight connecting variant covers for the Marvel Comics Civil War II event, depicting a massive battle between the heroes of the Marvel Universe. Marvel released a time-lapse video showing how Jung Gi created the piece, seen here.

Samantha Puc (she/they) is an editor at Newsarama and an avid comics fan. Their writing has been featured on Refinery29, Bitch Media, them., The Beat, The Mary Sue, and elsewhere. She is currently pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative nonfiction at The New School.