Strange Planet
Strange Planet is an American webcomic series created by cartoonist Nathan W. Pyle, featuring blue-skinned, big-eyed extraterrestrial beings who engage in everyday human-like activities while describing them in a literal, quirky, and often absurd manner that highlights the peculiarities of Earth customs.[1][2] Debuting on Instagram in February 2019, the series quickly amassed millions of followers due to its minimalist art style and witty observations on topics ranging from social interactions and holidays to mundane routines like coffee consumption or pet ownership.[1][2] Pyle, drawing from influences like BoJack Horseman for its blend of humor and introspection, self-published the initial comics before securing a deal with HarperCollins, leading to the first anthology book Strange Planet in November 2019, which became a New York Times bestseller.[2] Subsequent volumes, including The Sneaking, Hiding, Vibrating Creature (2021) focused on cats and Tuck Me In (2025), expanded the universe while maintaining the core theme of alien bemusement at human norms.[3] The franchise expanded into animation with an Apple TV+ series co-created by Pyle and Dan Harmon, premiering on August 9, 2023, which adapts the comics into 10-minute episodes voiced by a cast including Tunde Adebimpe, Demi Adejuyigbe, and Danny Pudi, preserving the original's deadpan humor while exploring longer narratives about the Beings' society.[4][2] Merchandise such as apparel and prints, available through Pyle's official site, further popularized the characters, cementing Strange Planet as a modern phenomenon in digital comics that satirizes anthropocentric views through an otherworldly perspective.[3]Origins and Webcomic
Creation and Concept
Nathan W. Pyle, an American cartoonist born in 1982 and raised in Kettering, Ohio, developed an early interest in digital art after learning Adobe Illustrator from a cousin around age 10. After studying theology in college, he moved to New York City, where he worked at BuzzFeed and created viral content, including a series of GIFs offering survival tips for navigating the city that amassed millions of views on Reddit. This led to his first book, NYC Basic Tips and Etiquette (2013), a New York Times bestseller that humorously outlined unwritten rules for urban living. Pyle also published 99 Stories I Could Tell (2018), a doodlebook encouraging creative storytelling through simple prompts.[5][6][7] The concept for Strange Planet originated in early 2019 during a moment of domestic routine, when Pyle and his wife hid their toaster in a closet to tidy their apartment before guests arrived for her birthday celebration. This act of concealing everyday items struck Pyle as an oddly human behavior, inspiring him to sketch blue-skinned, three-fingered aliens observing and describing such mundane experiences—like consuming food or navigating relationships—with precise, overly technical language that highlights their absurdity. The first comic strip, depicting this "hiding" scenario, captured the essence of the series: aliens on a distant planet rephrasing familiar earthly activities in a literal, jargon-filled manner, such as referring to a hug as a "vibrating creature containment protocol."[5][6] Pyle launched the Strange Planet webcomic on Instagram under the handle @nathanwpylestrangeplanet in early February 2019, posting the inaugural strip on February 4. The series quickly resonated with audiences for its witty, relatable take on human quirks through an alien lens, leading to explosive early growth: the account reached 250,000 followers within three weeks and surpassed 2 million by May 2019. This viral success on social media paved the way for expansions into print books and a television adaptation.[5][8][9]Style and Themes
The visual style of Strange Planet employs a minimalist four-panel format, featuring simple line drawings of blue-skinned aliens with large, expressive eyes and sparse backgrounds that prioritize dialogue and facial expressions over detailed environments.[5][1] This clean, pastel-hued aesthetic creates a sense of universality, allowing readers to project human experiences onto the genderless, raceless "Beings" without distraction from ornate visuals.[5] The humor in the webcomic is rooted in absurdist comedy, achieved through the aliens' literal and overly technical reinterpretations of everyday human norms, such as describing hunger as "I require sustenance" or tanning as "sun damage."[1][5] This approach draws from science fiction tropes of alien anthropologists observing and misunderstanding Earth customs, turning mundane activities into comically detached commentaries that highlight their inherent oddities.[10] Recurring themes center on satire of ordinary life events, including holidays, technology usage, parenting, and social interactions, often explored through the aliens' emotional detachment to underscore universal feelings like joy, sadness, and confusion.[1][5] By framing these scenarios from an outsider's perspective, the comic probes the absurdities of human rituals and behaviors, celebrating their complexity while inviting reflection on shared emotional experiences.[10] The characters are archetypal "Beings" without names or consistent personalities, encompassing roles such as parents, offspring, and friends to enable episodic flexibility and broad relatability across strips.[5] This design choice reinforces the comic's thematic focus on universality, as the aliens serve as blank slates for human projection rather than developed individuals.[1] Strange Planet has been compared to earlier works like Gary Larson's The Far Side for its deadpan humor and observational satire, as well as the early 20th-century comic strip Mr. Skygack, from Mars by A. D. Condo, which similarly featured an alien misinterpreting human society.[10][11] These influences align with Pyle's emphasis on everyday absurdities viewed through an extraterrestrial lens, evolving the trope for modern audiences.[12]Print and Merchandise
Book Publications
The book publications of Strange Planet represent a direct extension of the webcomic's popularity, compiling its humorous strips into accessible print formats while introducing new content tailored to diverse audiences. Published primarily by HarperCollins imprints such as Morrow Gift, the series emphasizes the webcomic's signature style of literal interpretations of human experiences through the lens of blue-skinned aliens, making the humor relatable and suitable for all ages. The inaugural volume, Strange Planet, was released on November 19, 2019, as a hardcover collection of early webcomic strips depicting everyday milestones like education, relationships, and leisure activities. It quickly achieved commercial success, debuting at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and ranking among Publishers Weekly's top-selling graphic novels of the year. Subsequent releases expanded the series with varied formats and themes. Stranger Planet, published on June 16, 2020, adopts a memoir-like structure with new illustrations exploring traditions, emotions, and interpersonal dynamics. Greetings from Strange Planet, a postcard set issued on September 15, 2020, functions as a holiday-themed companion, featuring 26 illustrated cards for sharing festive messages.[13] Later titles include interactive and reflective formats. Strange Planet: Existence Chronicle, a guided journal published on December 1, 2020, prompts readers to chronicle personal experiences alongside comic illustrations. The Strange Planet Activity Book, released on September 14, 2021, offers puzzles, mazes, and drawing prompts inspired by the series for children and fans.[14] The picture book Strange Planet: The Sneaking, Hiding, Vibrating Creature, released on June 1, 2021, centers on pet-themed stories, following a young alien's discovery of a mysterious "vibrating creature" (a cat) and its role in family life; it also reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller list.[15] The publication strategy ties releases to ongoing webcomic updates, ensuring fresh content while prioritizing broad accessibility through hardcover collections, activity books, and journals that encourage creative engagement with the series' whimsical universe.[16]| Title | Publication Date | Format | Key Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strange Planet | November 19, 2019 | Hardcover collection | Early strips on life milestones [#1 NYT bestseller] |
| Stranger Planet | June 16, 2020 | Hardcover collection | New content on traditions and emotions |
| Greetings from Strange Planet | September 15, 2020 | Postcard set | Holiday-themed illustrations |
| Strange Planet: Existence Chronicle | December 1, 2020 | Guided journal | Reflective prompts on daily life |
| Strange Planet: The Sneaking, Hiding, Vibrating Creature | June 1, 2021 | Picture book | Pet discovery and family bonds [#1 NYT bestseller] |
| Strange Planet Activity Book | September 14, 2021 | Activity book | Puzzles and creative exercises |
| Tuck Me In!: A Science Bedtime Story | September 2, 2025 | Picture book | Bedtime science explanations |