It feels like every time I review a new comic featuring everyone’s favorite Eisner-winning land shark, he’s undergone yet another surge in popularity. Last December saw Jeff debut in the starting roster of Marvel Rivals, and since then demand for funny books featuring the little guy has skyrocketed. Now he’s back with a new title (Jeff the Land Shark is more SEO friendly than It’s Jeff!), a new format (five full issues of semi-aquatic fun), and even a new artist.
Ever since Gurihiru became the definitive Jeff artist with the digital “It’s Jeff!” Infinity Comic, it’s been clear that Japanese artists with an adorable, Kawaii-type style bring out the best in this character. Tokitokoro– who’d previously drawn the Rivals version of Jeff on various covers– does such a wonderful job of capturing the energy of Gurihiru’s Jeff in a fresh and original artstyle. He’s still visually the same character with the same mannerisms, but they’re all exaggerated and a little more cartoony in a way that makes the comedic bits especially hilarious. I love the way Jeff becomes this hyper-expressive little bouncy blob as he tries to nonverbally communicate with Deadpool, and there’s a particularly adorable moment where Jeff eats a magic stone that transforms the Sanctum Sanctorum into a goofy crayon world.
Like the two Venom-centric It’s Jeff! stories Kelly Thompson wrote, this issue has more dialogue than the standard Jeff comic, but it’s got a simplicity to it that makes it suitable for fans of all ages. Basically, a mysterious entity has broken free and possessed Jeff’s shadow. Now, Jeff has to chase this mysterious Shadow Jeff through all kinds of exotic settings, including Madripoor, the Savage Land, and Montreal. I get the feeling that each issue is going to provide different characters for Jeff to play off of, which should offer a lot of variety. This issue sees Jeff clash with Dr. Strange’s catty snakes– Aleister and Anton– and reunite with Deadpool. It’s so funny how the snakes try to bully this little guy all because he has legs and they don’t. I love that Thompson puts them into her Marvel work whenever she gets the chance.
There was a brief moment where I was concerned about things getting too repetitive when Jeff ate one of Doctor Strange’s stones and grew tentacles, which is a bit we’ve already seen before in It’s Jeff! However, after thinking about it, its inclusion made more sense to me, because this comic seems to be setting up Jeff using the magic rocks later, and Jeff doesn’t have a way of telling the audience: “Hey, this is the same magic rock from It’s Jeff! #35– which you may or may not have read– that gives me tentacles when I eat it. I’ll need it later.” It never feels like Thompson is running out of ideas for Jeff stories, so it makes more sense that repeating the gag was just the most efficient way to tell this story.
Jeff the Land Shark #1 is a really cute, funny little issue that is sure to please both existing Jeff fans and those who recently discovered him through Marvel Rivals or that Spider-Man cartoon for toddlers. I’m so thankful to exist at the same time as this silly little goober. I don’t know what I’d do without him.
