When Nathan W. Pyle started posting his Strange Planet webcomic series on his Instagram profile in early 2019, he probably didn’t expect to see the comic changed a few years later. Made into a web series. The comic tells the story of blue beings on another planet very similar to Earth, who literally describe their very human-like experiences to humorous effect. The Strange Planet web series has stayed true to the source material both aesthetically and dialogue.
Created by Pyle and Dan Harmon (of Community and Rick and Morty fame), the series is now on Apple TV+. Three episodes are now available to watch, with new episodes added every Wednesday (in India) until the first 10 episodes of the first season have aired. Each episode is under 30 minutes long and filled with unique stories and scenarios; read on for my spoiler-free review.
Weird Planet review: Hilarious in technical and literal terms
Like the comics, dialogue in Strange Planet is key to the show, with the blue creature describing everything in technically accurate and literal terms. That’s not to say the dialogue is emotionless or overly literal—quite the opposite, in fact. Fans of Instagram comics might read the text in a rather mechanical way, but the characters are more human than you might think.
The Strange Planet series is based on the webcomic by Nathan W. Pyle
This kind of hyperliteral dialogue made many people laugh, such as referring to confetti as “little trash” and alcoholic beverages as “mild poison”. The characters are also very forthright about their moods and feelings, and the lack of pretense and irony is a great way to show the audience how complicated our interactions can become and how sometimes deciphering things isn’t as easy as it seems.
Strange Planet review: A work of art that sticks to the source material
Whenever a literary work is adapted—whether in animation or live-action—artists are allowed to take some creative liberties in the definition of aesthetics. Since Strange Planet is a comic book, its aesthetic is already set in stone, and fortunately, the web series has stuck to the world’s now iconic look and expression. This includes not only the blue creatures themselves, but also creatures with subtle touches, such as three-eyed pigeons and dogs.
Comics don’t show the world around them in that much detail for obvious reasons–manga panels tend to focus on characters. Strange Planet takes some liberties here, and if you’ve seen Rick and Morty, you’ll find the artwork very familiar. It meshes well with the established art in the comics; this collaboration between Pyle and Harmon is clearly well thought out and executed.
Strange Planet Review: A Quick Tale Spotlighting the ‘People’ Element
Each episode of Strange Planet has its own unique story and setting, exploring very “human-like” emotional themes such as fear, sadness, loneliness and anxiety. Friendships and romantic relationships are there, as are the stresses of work and enjoyment. Like a comic, nothing gets too complicated—the focus is on the dialogue, and the emotions that can be portrayed by being overly literal and skipping the figurative.
Since the episodes are short, they’re great for a quick watch or during a short break or when you need something interesting to lighten your mood. If you’re a manga fan like I am, you don’t want to miss this. Even if you haven’t stumbled upon this Internet sensation before, Strange Planet is easily everyone’s favorite.
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