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Falling In Love With Nathan W Pyle's Strange Planet, All Over Again

Published Sun, 05 Jan 2020 13:00:43 -0600

Last updated Mon, 06 Jan 2020 03:19:17 -0600

Nathan W Pyle has been running Instagram comic for a few years. Publisher Wildfire in the UK and HarperCollins in the US (I got the former, obv) has taken those cartoons and put them in a nice square hardcover book. And it's a transformative experience, no longer mixed up with images of cats, photos of people in Moscow or ladies' bottoms. So for the first time, I read Strange Planet as a whole narrative – even though it was never meant to be one. And some brand new pages added to help smooth the transition, fill in gaps and tell new stories. And it's a way of seeing our own lives through the eyes of others – 'friends arriving soon' 'let us store irregular shapes inside shapes with flat surfaces' 'your home is beautiful' 'thank you – we own things but have hidden them' – is a stand out for me, and also encapsulates what is so loveable about this book.

There are aspects of Third Rock From The Sun and Mork And Mindy here, but the tone is knocked back, laid back, horizontal in places. As a result, it hurts far more when it reflects a more personal aspect of your life, in a, for want of a better term, autistic fashion. Ripped raw, plucked from your chest and held out in front of you, still beating and dripping, to be studiously analysed by those around, who can't see the humanity. And then keeps on and keeps on, beyond a punchline. This is all belied by a deliberately cartoony simple art style. So yes, of course, it's a Strange Planet. But it's the one we live in.

Strange Planet, Hardcover by Nathan W. Pyle

Straight from the mind of #1 New York Times bestselling author Nathan W. Pyle, Strange Planet is an adorable and profound universe in pink, blue, green, and purple, based on the phenomenally popular Instagram of the same name! Strange Planet covers a full life cycle of the planet's inhabitants, including milestones such as:

The Emergence Day
Being Gains a Sibling
The Being Family Attains a Beast
The Formal Education of a Being
Celebration of Special Days
Being Begins a Vocation
The Beings at Home
Health Status of a Being
The Hobbies of a Being
The Extended Family of the Being
The Being Reflects on Life While Watching the Planet Rotate

With dozens of never-before-seen illustrations in addition to old favorites, this book offers a sweet and hilarious look at a distant world not all that unlike our own.

I feel more attractive.
Honestly, you are.
It's the star damage.
I CRAVE STAR DAMAGE.