Introducing Nova Unbound
An artist Q&A with Alfie, creator of the new series coming to Planet Nude Strips
A new comic is arriving on Strips, and it begins with a crash.
Nova Unbound follows a lone astronaut stranded on a distant world orbiting three suns. With her spacecraft destroyed and her mission over, Nova must learn to survive in an environment unlike anything she has known. What begins as disaster gradually becomes something else: a story of adaptation, discovery, and the strange beauty of starting over.
The series comes from illustrator Alfie, a French artist who has spent years working across illustration, animation, and comics. Under the moniker A Life Doodler, he has developed a body of work centered on the human form, with a particular focus on the female figure. His drawings explore artistic nudity, romance, and emotional storytelling through expressive line work that blends realism with a gentle, cartoon-inflected style.
With Nova Unbound, Alfie brings those interests into a science-fiction setting, combining visual storytelling with a tale about survival, transformation, and freedom on an unfamiliar world.
Ahead of the comic’s launch on Strips, we asked Alfie a few questions about his artistic path, his fascination with the human body, and the world he’s created for Nova.
Interview with Alfie, March 2026
How did your art journey begin, and what paths led you to creating Nova Unbound?
I like to say that I am simply a child who never stopped drawing. As a kid, holding a pencil was always more captivating than playing with a ball. For a long time, I didn’t think I could make a living out of it; it felt like a dream. After working in completely different fields, I finally started my freelance career, which has now spanned nearly twenty years.
My path has been diverse: I’ve illustrated children’s books, created comics for magazines, and worked on corporate communication. I also have a strong background in animation, ranging from short animated sequences to educational explanatory videos. This long experience in storytelling and movement is what led me to Nova Unbound. I wanted to combine my professional background in narrative design with my personal artistic exploration as Alfie, creating a world where the visual flow tells as much as the plot itself.
What keeps bringing you back to the human body as a subject?
It started with life drawing, the essential discipline of learning anatomy. But I quickly became fascinated by the subject itself. To me, the human body is like an open book that can tell a thousand stories.
In our society, nudity is almost always linked to erotica or pornography. While a body can be erotic, I am deeply interested in dissociating nudity from sex. I want to represent the body and specifically the female form, which is so often over-sexualized, as an embodiment of purity, innocence, and honesty. I don’t think I’ll ever tire of this subject because the body’s ability to express spontaneity and truth is infinite. Whether my style is realistic or a bit more “cartoonized,” I strive to capture that timeless elegance.
Who is Nova, and what is Nova Unbound about?
Nova is a highly skilled solo astronaut who finds herself stranded on a mysterious, unexplored planet after a catastrophic crash. With her ship destroyed beyond repair, she is forced to abandon her past life and mission.
Nova Unbound is not a story about a “damsel in distress” trying to go home; it is a narrative of adaptation and rebirth. It follows her journey as she discovers a vibrant, organic world lit by three suns. The series explores her physical and sensory awakening as she sheds the layers of her civilization to survive and eventually thrive alongside the planet’s colorful, diverse inhabitants. It’s a story about finding beauty and freedom in a place where humanity was never meant to exist.
What does “unbound” mean in this story?
In this story, “Unbound” carries a triple meaning:
1- Physical Liberation: Literally shedding the “bonds” of her heavy, high-tech spacesuit. Because of the extreme heat of the three suns and the atmospheric reaction that causes Earth fabrics to smolder, Nova must remain nude to survive. She is literally unbound from clothing.
2- Freedom from Convention: She is no longer bound by the rigid protocols, social shames, or expectations of Earth. In this new world, she is free to redefine herself. Her nudity becomes a state of pure, natural existence.
3- Organic Integration: It signals the transition from a mechanical life (bound to machines and ships) to an organic one. Like a star (a Nova) releasing its energy, she is “unbound” from her old shell, allowing her to connect deeply with the planet’s nature and its people.
What do you hope Planet Nude readers take away from this comic?
Above all: Escape. I feel that art today is often overly politicized or tied to specific ideologies. I prefer to offer a moment of relaxation, joy, and light. Even if Nova’s journey has its dark moments, there will always be a positive outcome.
I also hope to bring a sense of freshness through contemplative imagery. When I draw, I create what I would want to read myself; I am my own first reader. My approach is perhaps a bit personal in that way, but I hope that what resonates in my heart will also resonate in the hearts of those who follow Nova’s adventures. I want them to feel the suns of this new world and the beauty of a life rediscovered.
Anything else you’d like to share?
I would add that my years of professional experience have turned me into a “translator of ideas.” I love the challenge of taking a complex feeling or a sci-fi concept and turning it into a clear, evocative image.
Also, because I have spent so much of my career illustrating for younger audiences, I have kept a certain softness and benevolence in my line work. Even in a series for adults like Nova Unbound, I bring that same gentle eye. My goal is never to be aggressive or provocative for the sake of it, but to show the human form with the utmost respect and poetic sensibility. 🪐
The final image is great with what appears to be Nova's spacecraft heading toward Planet Nude. In light of the commentary in the article, the image made me laugh in anticipation of Alfie's contribution. Time to start anude.
I also very much enjoyed the four panel cartoon about "How to scare society". As a figurative stone sculptor I have had some wonderful experiences listening to viewer comments during exhibitions. Just depicting the full human form can be limiting to where pieces can be shown. I remember three young women discussing why in one of my sculptures the penis looked "so strange", until it became clear one of them had never seen an uncircumcised penis and she just was amazed at how it looked.