Vibe Shift

by VAN SCIVER Noah

78 pages, Paperback

Published March 11, 2026

Reviews

[Titus · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a new collection of short comics that Noah van Sciver had previously published in various places over the past couple of decades, and it’s also the first of his books that I’ve read. Unfortunately, I’m not sure it was a wise starting point.

Of everything collected here, my clear favourite is “Abby’s Road”, a brilliant 10-page piece of realistic fiction in a similar vein to Adrian Tomine, focusing on an angry, disaffected young male protagonist. I’ll also give an honourable mention to “Freak Out”, a six-page (seemingly autobiographical) strip about getting too high while on a date, which I found very funny.

Otherwise, I’d say the rest ranges from “OK” to “quite good”. There are a lot of unremarkable autobiographical strips, and overall it feels like a b-sides collection. I’m willing to give the author another shot, but I’ll be sure to try something longer-form and fictional, like Fante Bukowsi, which seems more up my street.

[Matt Graupman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Collecting comics and illustrations from throughout his prolific career, "Vibe Shift" is further proof that Noah Van Sciver is one of the funniest and most underrated creators in the medium. It bums me out that some of his comics lament how poor he often is as a full-time artist, because he's absolutely brilliant. His pacing, characterization, design sense, humor, and versatility are all just masterful. There is something for everyone in "Vibe Shift," 100% guaranteed.

FAVORITES:
"Boring" - A thrilling day in the life of Noah Van Sciver
"Abby's Road" - A "Blammo" classic about a loser house-painting Juggalo dating a high school girl
"Someday" - A too on-the-nose piece about owning too many books