REVIEW: ‘It’s Jeff!,’ Issue #1

Debuting in the 2018 West Coast Avengers series, created by Kelly Thompson and Daniele Di Nicuolo, Jeff the Land Shark was adopted as a pet by Gwenpool and became a recurring character for the remainder of the book’s short run. After that, Jeff got handed off to Deadpool while Thompson was writing that series, with adorable effect. He has since had cameos in a couple of books, either as merchandise sported by some of Marvel’s finest, to even chilling with Emma Frost in an ice-laden possible future Earth. From there, Marvel saw fit to give Jeff his own digital series; It’s Jeff! Now, Marvel has brought the adorable adventures of its newest rising star to readers’ bookshelves with It’s Jeff #1, which collects Jeff’s first 12 digital outings, written by Kelly Thompson with art by Gurihiru.

After reading that last line, you might be picturing It’s Jeff! #1 as a whole trade collection if it holds 12 adorable adventures by this lovable character. Far from it, however. While the book is giant-sized, coming in at 45 pages, the book is a quick, light read for those looking to enjoy some Land Shark-based mischief. Each of Jeff’s adventures comes closer in length to a Sunday comic strip than a traditional comic. Built around a single joke, Thompson keeps each adventure of the lovable Jeff short and sweet, just like him.

These mini outings see Jeff explore a plethora of situations ranging from surviving heat waves to enjoying the holidays. Each scenario is skillfully set up by Thompson, allowing Jeff to explore, laugh, be goofy, and at times, a sweet little creature. Jeff’s adventures also see him interacting with a whole slew of Marvel’s stable of characters. With everyone from Avengers and X-Men to Elsa Bloodstone showing up, Jeff has plenty of companionships. But his most regular sidekick is Kate Bishop, who seems to be currently providing Jeff with a home. Kate frequently strives to take care of Jeff, even occasionally from himself. Despite her general support for the lovable guy, Jeff never loses sight of his true role in the series and may put Kate in the dog house when she forgets. In the cutest way, of course.

All of the fun and laughs of It’s Jeff! #1 is brought to life through the amazing art of Gurihiru. Jeff’s every misadventure and playful prank is made all the cuter by the artist’s light-hearted delivery of the series’ star and his numerous supporting players. How anyone could even flip through this book without finding an ear-to-ear grin spreading across their face baffles me.

So, to sum it all up, if you need a delightful escape from the plethora of worries that daily life is insistent on pummeling us all with, you should look no further than the adorable antics that every page of It’s Jeff! #1 so wonderfully delivers.

It’s Jeff #1 is available now wherever comics are sold.