Jeff the Land Shark

Jeff the Land Shark (also known as Jeffrey ) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Kelly Thompson and artist Daniele di Nicuolo, the character first appeared in West Coast Avengers vol. 3 #6 (October 2018), but was not named and formally introduced until issue #7 (January 2019). Jeff was originally the pet landshark (legged shark) of the superhero Gwen Poole but has since had other caretakers such as Deadpool, Elsa Bloodstone and Kate Bishop.

Comic books
Landsharks first appeared in West Coast Avengers volume 3 #1 (October 2018), created by writer Kelly Thompson and artist Stefano Caselli. The issue saw a herd of landsharks running through Santa Monica. One of the landsharks drawn by Caselli caught Thompson's eye, so she created a character, drawing on the shark imagery and her own pet cats. This character, Jeff, was first introduced in issue #7, drawn by Daniele di Nicuolo, being adopted by Gwen Poole and named "Jeff", as part of an ultimately abandoned running gag where Gwen would adopt (and lose) many infant animals and name them "Jeff", having previously adopted a kitten she'd called by that name. Following a universally positive internet reception, Jeff consequently appeared in the rest of the run of West Coast Avengers.

Jeff appeared in Gwenpool Strikes Back (2019), by writer Leah Williams and artist David Baldeon, and Deadpool (volume 8), by writer Thompson and artists Chris Bachalo and Gerardo Sandoval, as a supporting character. He was also featured in the one-page story "Monsters" by writer Thompson and artist Pepe Larraz which was printed in Marvel's 80th Anniversary project Marvel #1000 (2019).

Thompson credits a con exhibition piece by The Unbelievable GwenPool artists Gurihiru as popularizing Jeff. Characters in the Marvel Universe started being depicted with Jeff-themed merchandise. Starting September 2021, Jeff then starred in his own series, titled It's Jeff!, written by Thompson and drawn by Gurihiru. This comedy series has no dialogue. It's Jeff! premiered as part of the new Marvel's Infinity Comics program; these digital comics are in the vertical scrolling format and are only available to Marvel Unlimited subscribers. A second season of It's Jeff! returned in September 2022, running until January 2023. A third season of It's Jeff! launched on October 20, 2023.

Jeff has also appeared in the Marvel Meow Infinity Comic (2022).

It's Jeff! #1 was released in print in March 2023; this one-shot issue collects the short stories originally published in the digital Infinity Comics format. It's Jeff: The Jeff-Verse #1 was released in November 2023; this print issue collects issues #13-24 of the Infinity Comic.

Jeff was "venomized" as part of Marvel's 2023 Summer of Symbiotes event in the short story "The Rhythm of the Night" written by Thompson and drawn by Gurihiru. This story was printed in Extreme Venomverse #5 (July 2023). Jeff has appeared in the Marvel Unlimited crossover Infinity Paws, written by Jason Loo and drawn by Nao Fuji, which released in spring 2024.

Covers
Jeff, with Carol Danvers, was featured on the variant cover of Captain Marvel #39 with art by Gurihiru; this version was exclusive to Marvel Unlimited Annual Plus subscribers who attended San Diego Comic-Con in July 2022. Gurihiru then did two more variant covers, Captain Marvel #42 and Captain America: Symbol of Truth #6, which feature Jeff in October 2022. Nao Fuji (artist of Marvel Meow) also did a variant cover, for Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings #4 (October 2022), featuring Jeff. The "venomized" version of Jeff was featured on two of the Extreme Venomverse #5 (July 2023) covers – the standard cover by Leinil Francis Yu and a variant cover by Peach Momoko.

Fictional character biography
The land-sharks were created by M.O.D.O.K. When the West Coast Avengers, led by Kate Bishop, defeated a team of super-villains including M.O.D.O.K., Gwen Poole found and adopted a baby land-shark, naming it Jeff after a kitten of the same name Gwen had adopted earlier in the series but who she had to give up. Jeff became part of the West Coast Avengers.

Concerned that so many of her own titles had been cancelled (as a being from the real world, aware of the fictional comic book nature of the Marvel Universe), Gwen gave Jeff to Deadpool so he would have a more secure future, only for his title to be promptly cancelled as well. Elsa Bloodstone became his next caretaker.

It's Jeff! (2021) depicts Jeff as living with Kate Bishop, being given to her by Gwen instead. In the series, "Jeff has been the darling of a superhero pool party; stolen Captain America's shield to sled with the Young Avengers; eaten the Infinity Gauntlet; and swiped a superhero gathering's Thanksgiving turkey". In the 2022 second season, Gwen returns, continuing to care for Jeff along with Kate.

Powers and abilities
Jeff is a quadruped land-shark with a prodigious appetite. His main attack is biting. He possesses the normal attributes of an Earth shark.

Critical response
Chris Arrant of Newsarama called Jeff the Land Shark a "fan-favorite," writing, "Jeff the Land Shark slowly became a low-key cult-favorite character for some comics fans." Samantha King of Screen Rant referred to as "Marvel's cutest character," stating, "The little shark has quickly become a fan-favorite in both the real world and Marvel's universe." Nicholas Howe of CBR ranked Jeff the Land Shark 1st in their "10 Cutest Marvel Heroes" list, saying, "Jeff has become one of the most beloved figures of the last few years," while Darby Harn ranked him 6th in their "10 Most Iconic Pets In Marvel Comics" list. On Jeff's debut in West Coast Avengers, Robbie Pleasant of Multiversity Comics commented that "it was clear from the get-go that Jeff was the next big thing in comics, an absolute superstar that would dominate the industry, or at least our hearts. Here at Multiversity, it quickly became a running gag in the pages of Saturday Morning Panels just how much we all love that little land shark".

Literary reception for It's Jeff (2023)
Graeme McMillan, for Polygon in 2021, commented that of the new Infinity Comics, It's Jeff! "is pretty perfect from the start" and "an utter joy" unlike the rest of the line. Jim Dandeneau, for Den of Geek, wrote that "if you have a young person in your life, [It's Jeff!] will completely justify an annual Marvel Unlimited subscription". It was nominated for Best Digital Comic at the 2022 Eisner Awards.

Following the print release in 2023, Avery Kaplan, for The Beat, called the collected issue a "must-read… or a must re-read". Kaplan commented that while in some places there is obvious evidence of the "vestigial scrolling structure," it doesn't detract from the issue and she appreciated that Marvel went with a longer issue format in order to print all 12 parts of the first season. Susana Polo of Polygon highlighted how the issue isn't more complicated than "Jeff gets into some shenanigans, finds a cute way out of them" – it has Gurihiru's "charming art" and Thompson's writing is "Sunday Funnies simple".

Hannah Rose of CBR asserted, "While it doesn't boast anything groundbreaking or deep, It's Jeff! #1 is a welcome respite of aesthetically pleasing fun, sweetness and mischief, putting a spotlight on a minor character whose appeal cannot be understated." Chase Magnett of ComicBook.com gave It's Jeff! #1 a grade of 4.5 out of 5, writing, "In addition to splendidly told strips, the full comics page provides plenty of space for background gags that are bound to absorb readers with nods to beloved characters. For those seeking the lighter side of Marvel Comics, It's Jeff! is a can't-miss collection filled with laughs and love for animals." In May 2024, Pleasant rated It's Jeff! #1 a 10 out of 10 and highlighted that the transition into print was done with "bit of a visual distinction to the flow". Pleasant opined that "between [Thompson's] story and Gurihiru's artwork, we get the tale of a happy little land shark who can get into trouble, but mostly just wants to have fun, be loved, and eat all the food he can find. [...] What It's Jeff comes down to is one thing: Jeff the Land Shark is adorable and gets into amusing hijinks. It's not a deep story or character exploration, but it's cute and fun, which is exactly what we want from this comic".

The comic It's Jeff: The Jeff-Verse #1 was nominated for Best Humor Publication at the 2024's Eisner Awards.

Video games

 * Jeff the Land Shark appears as a playable character in Marvel Puzzle Quest.
 * Jeff the Land Shark appears as a playable character in the digital card game Marvel Snap.

Board games

 * In 2023, Jeff the Land Shark appears in Marvel: Crisis Protocol as part of the "Gwenpool Character Pack."
 * In 2023, Jeff the Land Shark appears in Marvel United: Multiverse board game by Spin Master Games and CMON as a Kickstarter stretch goal. He was added as part of the Pet Companions expansion to the game which includes new standalone miniatures and corresponding cards. Jeff was also featured as part of Gwenpool's Kickstarter exclusive miniature in Marvel United: X-Men (2021).

Merchandise

 * In 2020, Hasbro released a Jeff the Land Shark action figure in their Marvel Legends line. The figure was included in a pack for Shiklah.