Jeff the Land Shark #1

History

The land shark species was conceived by writer Kelly Thompson and artist Stefano Caselli in West Coast Avengers (vol. 3) #1 (October 2018), where a herd of MODOK-engineered landsharks attacked Santa Monica; Thompson noticed one particular Caselli-drawn shark and built a character around it, drawing inspiration from her own pet cats. Jeff was formally introduced — named and adopted by Gwenpool — in West Coast Avengers #7 (January 2019), drawn by Daniele di Nicuolo. After years of digital-first adventures in the Eisner-winning 'It's Jeff!' Infinity Comics series (launched September 2021, drawn by Gurihiru), Jeff's surging popularity in the video game Marvel Rivals — where he debuted as a playable character in December 2024 — gave Marvel and Thompson the commercial runway to greenlight this print miniseries, announced at ComicsPro in February 2025. Thompson brought in artist Tokitokoro, who had previously drawn the Marvel Rivals version of Jeff on covers, and colorist Jim Campbell, with Gurihiru providing the main cover art.

Trivia · 8 facts

• First print miniseries to star Jeff the Land Shark; published June 18, 2025, as part one of a five-issue limited series written by Kelly Thompson and drawn by Tokitokoro.
• Introduces Shadow-Jeff (a shadow demon that has possessed Jeff's silhouette) as a new antagonist — his first appearance according to the Marvel Database.
• Story begins in Doctor Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum, where Jeff accidentally triggers the release of a shadow demon while scuffling with Strange's pet snakes Anton and Aleister; the demon then escapes through a portal.
• Issue #1 confirmed cast includes Jeff the Land Shark, Deadpool (Wade Wilson), Doctor Strange (Stephen Strange), Bats (appearing in photo/spirit form), and the newly created Shadow-Jeff; Rocket Raccoon and other characters from the catalog appear in later issues of the miniseries.
• The series was written by Jeff's co-creator Kelly Thompson; artist Tokitokoro had previously illustrated Jeff on Marvel Rivals-related cover artwork before taking on this interior assignment.
• Cover A is by Gurihiru, the artist duo who defined Jeff's visual identity in the 'It's Jeff!' Infinity Comics and whose redesign is widely credited with establishing the character's definitive look.
• The miniseries was nominated for Best Humor Publication at the 2026 Eisner Awards, continuing the Eisner recognition chain that began when 'It's Jeff!' was nominated for Best Digital Comic in 2022 and won Best Humor Publication in 2024.
• The series was announced at ComicsPro in February 2025 and explicitly tied to the momentum from Jeff's playable character debut in the video game Marvel Rivals (December 2024), reflecting Marvel's strategy of bridging gaming popularity with print comics.

Cast · 11 characters

Full credits

Variants (7)