Jeff the Land Shark has been enjoying a renaissance ever since his inclusion in the wildly successful Marvel Rivals video game, and he returns this week with his own five-issue miniseries, Jeff the Land Shark: Superstar, where he and his little heptopus buddy Ken just want to watch TV in peace. Superhero fights and Mojo stand in their way!
Writer Kelly Thompson doesn’t skip a beat in this super fun, endearing, and mega-cute first issue. Her ideas for crazy Mojo TV show teams, the hijinks and chaos of Mojo’s operation, and the incredibly cute Jeff fuel this book beyond an all-ages one-off into something that offers pure joy.
Jeff the Land Shark: Superstar #1 opens in Mojoworld, where we meet a Spider-Man team of off-the-wall characters. Enter Spider-Ham Sandwich, Mr. Spider-Business, and, of course, Jeff. Or at least, a person pretending to be Jeff in a Jeff costume. Mojo, who is partially freakish-looking but also carefully designed by Tokitokoro so that he’d be an excellent plushie, hates the team, demanding another. And Thompson delivers multiple times, as each one fails Mojo’s high standards. It’s a zany opening that plays into superhero tropes to the delight of anyone even remotely interested in comics.
Mojo is somehow freakish and cute.
Credit: Marvel
Eventually, Jeff enters the picture, and he gets his own scene with Ken that lasts five pages, which are three panels each of a simple, one-angle shot as he enjoys TV. Through a window above him, however, we see superheroes getting their butt kicks, culminating in one splatting on the window like a bug. Comedy gold!
The manga stylings of the Jef sequence are obvious, as Tokitokoro, with colors by Jim Campbell, adds a simpler panel structure and a super cute art style. Eventually, Jeff must do what he can as a bona fide hero to help the heroes, which leads to an excellent double-page splash of heroes fighting while Ken looks on in awe.
The big action sequence helps convey Jeff’s fighting ability, as well as the almost fatherly relationship to Ken, who should never be near a battle. Since the fight rings as an over-the-top side quest on top of establishing powers, it doesn’t feel unnecessary or stuffed in. By the end of the issue, there’s a logical next step, and if the creative team can continue to push the envelope of over-the-top zaniness, we might have this year’s all-ages funniest comic yet.
Jeff the Land Shark: Superstar #1 understands exactly why readers have fallen in love with Jeff and then doubles down on every appealing aspect of the character. Thompson crafts a comic bursting with imagination, from the ridiculous parade of Mojoworld superhero teams to the quiet, charming moments between Jeff and Ken. Tokitokoro’s artwork perfectly complements the tone, shifting effortlessly between adorable slice-of-life comedy and explosive superhero action. Beneath all the absurdity is a genuine affection for these characters and the larger superhero genre itself. The result is a comic that feels joyful from beginning to end, delivering laughs, heart, and enough creative energy to make this one of the year’s most delightful all-ages books.
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