The Puppet Master film franchise helped change the straight-to-video industry when the original Puppet Master movie was released in 1989. The film was a tremendous success for production studio Full Moon Features and its original distributor, Paramount, and a number of sequels and merchandising efforts followed. This included quite a few runs of Puppet Master comics over the years. Fortunately, the below guide explains how to read them in order.
In a way, the variety of Puppet Master comics is quite fitting, as they mirror the vast sequels, prequels, and midquels that comprise the Puppet Master film franchise. In order to break down these comics and how they fit in with the films, however, we’ll be separating runs into different sections. This way fans can dive into each individual run of Puppet Master while following along in a cohesive and exciting manner.
The first run of Puppet Master comics were published by Eternity Comics in 1991. This publisher had an early deal with Full Moon to produce comics based on their films. Because Full Moon movies themselves were inspired by the likes of classic Marvel Comics, it was a great brand deal ahead of its time, and led to series based on Subspecies, Trancers, and Demonic Toys in addition to Puppet Master. Naturally, Puppet Master was its most successful collaboration, and there were two limited series released.
The first of these series, titled Puppet Master, is a four-issue miniseries that acts as a prequel and sequel to the opening flashback of the original Puppet Master movie. Many elements were later used as the basis for Puppet Master III: Toulon’s Revenge, the franchise’s first prequel and one of its most beloved installments. However, there are quite a few differences with the comics, and these stories have continued to become retconned by the release of additional films including Puppet Master: Axis of Evil.
The second series contains even more inconsistencies by taking place directly after the events of the original movie’s main story. Funnily enough, it does explain the animation of Leroy, the taxidermy dog that Megan seems to have given life during the original movie’s final moments. The comic reveals that none other than Neil Gallagher’s soul had been placed into the dog. This too, however, has been retconned by more recent comic runs – so the Eternity Comics era should be considered a separate continuity of Puppet Master comics and canon altogether.
Puppet Master Comics in Order (Eternity Comics)
Puppet Master
- Issue #1
- Issue #2
- Issue #3
- Issue #4
Children of the Puppet Master
- Issue #1
- Issue #2
It took several decades until Action Lab Comics licensed the Puppet Master IP for a new run of comics in 2015. Similar to Eternity Comics, they adapted a number of different Full Moon properties, though with Puppet Master they had much more material to utilize. By this time, the franchise consisted of ten movies under Full Moon’s canon and eleven overall. With sequels, prequels, and midquels, it gave fans a complex canon to follow with plenty of inconsistencies as well as abandoned characters and storylines. Fortunately, Action Labs made the best of this messy canon, and used their comics to address these plot holes or incomplete stories while reintroducing the puppets and giving them an all-new fleshed out tale of terror. In addition to the main ongoing Puppet Master series, Action Labs published two one-shot Halloween specials that act as bookends to the original 1989 Puppet Master movie, giving fans some answers regarding some of the franchise’s longest-standing questions. Below you’ll find a guide with all of these Puppet Master comics from Action Lab Comics in chronological order.
Puppet Master Comics in Order (Action Lab Comics)
- Halloween 1988 (Puppet Master Halloween Special #1)
- Halloween 1989 “The Creature” (Puppet Master Halloween Special #2)
The Offering
- Issue #1
- Issue #2
- Issue #3
Rebirth
- Issue #4
- Issue #5
- Issue #6
- Issue #7
Boy of Wood
- Issue #8
- Issue #9
- Issue #10
- Issue #11
Blood Debt
- Issue #12
- Issue #13
- Issue #14
- Issue #15
Vacancy
- Issue #16
- Issue #17
- Issue #18
Retro Now
- Issue #19
- Issue #20
Curtain Call
- Issue #21
- Issue #22
- Issue #23
Outside of the two Halloween specials, the Action Lab Comics run of Puppet Master was divided into different story arcs for a total of 23 issues. Each of these story arcs have been published for a total of six volumes except for Retro Now. Unfortunately, the Retro Now arc was never properly completed. The publisher was at risk of losing the license without properly concluding the run, so rather than finish Retro Now, they chose to briefly address it and produce their intended finale under the Curtain Call arc. Outside of that cliffhanger, however, they created a rather comprehensive comic book series that tied up most of the franchise’s loose ends up to that point. The only other axed concept is that the second Halloween special nearly featured an ending with the puppets being sent to Dr. Magrew, the antagonist of the franchise’s sixth installment Curse of the Puppet Master, which would have confirmed its chronological place between Puppet Master and Puppet Master II. In every other regard, however, the Action Lab Comics run of Puppet Master is perhaps the franchise’s greatest story yet. And, for the most part, it seems to still be considered canon to the main film series.
A final one-shot comic, Blade: The Iron Cross, was published in-house by Full Moon’s own comic book label, Full Moon Comix, in 2019. It was produced as a tie-in for Blade: The Iron Cross and takes place directly after the events of Puppet Master III: Toulon’s Revenge while setting the stage for Blade’s titular solo movie. Shawn Gabborin, who wrote the Action Lab Comics run, was also brought on to write Blade: The Iron Cross although it doesn’t feature any narrative ties to the previous series. A year prior in 2018, Full Moon’s comic label also produced the six-issue miniseries Dollman Kills the Full Moon Universe which featured a few quick appearances from Andre Toulon’s Puppets. Though this is likely considered its own separate continuity much like the Eternity Comics run and shouldn’t be considered a flagship Puppet Master comic as the characters are relegated to quick crossover appearances.
Puppet Master Comics in Order (Full Moon Comix)
Blade: The Iron Cross
- Issue #1
Dollman Kills the Full Moon Universe
- Issue #2
- Issue #6
The Puppet Master franchise remains Full Moon’s most immortal property both on the screen and in the world of comics. It’s likely only a matter of time before Toulon’s iconic puppets make their way to the comic book page again, especially with Full Moon’s plans to continue the feature film series. In the meantime, however, fans have been left with plenty of great stories to choose from; especially the Action Lab Comics run which is considered by fans to be one of the greatest iterations for Puppet Master comics – and the franchise in general – to date.
