‘Strange Planet’ Webcomic Author Nathan W. Pyle Targeted For His Pro-Life Beliefs

By 
·April 10, 2019

A popular webcomic artist has come under fire due to his personal beliefs regarding the sensitive topic of abortion.

In February of 2019, author and cartoonist Nathan Pyle debuted a brand new web comic on his Twitter account titled Strange Planet. The strip focuses on a group of space aliens as they attempt to parse and understand human culture, often times stating things in a literal sense (such as calling a sunburn ‘star damage’) or pointing to how absurd some concepts of human life may seem to an outsider (in one strip, the aliens refer to the act of blowing bubbles as ‘trapping carbon dioxide in ephemeral spheres’ and question the purpose of such an activity). The inoffensive and humorous comics quickly went viral, with Strange Planet becoming a social media sensation:

However, as is sadly growing to be a custom of the times, some fans began to dig through Pyle’s social media for anything that may be considered controversial or ‘offensive.’ This search discovered a single Tweet made in 2017, wherein Pyle, who is a practicing Christian, offered up kind words regarding The 2017 March for Life event due to a personal connection towards the march’s pro-life message:

Pyle’s tweet was brought to the attention of the general public by Twitter user ‘Anarcho-Pavlovist’, whose initial tweet has over 8,000 retweets and 10,000 likes:

Despite the absence of politics and controversial topics in Strange Planet, some users were quick to respond by taking to social media, advising others to avoid his work and condemning Pyle for his personal beliefs:

Pyle was also targeted by the media, as Nylon pompously declared that “we should be careful with what we’re sharing” in an article titled The Guy Who Makes Those Cute Alien Comics Has Really Bad Opinions on Abortion:

“When looking at Pyle’s personal Instagram, though, it’s clear that we shouldn’t have been surprised that he has such conservative views. The first line in his bio is “I follow Jesus,” which should clue you in about his religious leanings.

Though you may not have followed Pyle’s account, you’ve no doubt seen his drawings re-posted by others on social media, and maybe even shared some yourself. Finding out about Pyle’s problematic views serves as a needed warning to make sure the content that you’re sharing was created by someone who views you as deserving of autonomy over your own body.”

However, not all of Pyle’s fans were quick to turn on him, with many expressing their support of Pyle and speaking out against the concept of ‘ideological purity’:

Pyle would respond to the outrage mob in a single tweet on April 9th, stating that while he holds his own beliefs influenced by his Christian faith, he supports the separation of church and state with regards to American politics, as well as the Democratic party:

Pyle would write:

“My wife Taylor and I have private beliefs as they pertain to our Christian faith. We also believe separation of church and state is crucial to our nation flourishing. Our votes go toward the Democratic Party.

Additionally we are troubled by what the Republican Party has become and do not want to be associated with it.”

What do you make of people targeting Nathan Pyle? Do you think his response was appropriate?

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