Writer – Dave Devries
Artist – Glenn Lumsden
Colours – Dave Devries
Letters – Glenn Lumsden

The final issue of Puppet Master is what one might expect, a final showdown between the puppets, Toulon, Loemann and the Germans. Back to chronicle this last exploit is Dave Devries behind the keys once more while Glenn Lumsden provides the very effective artwork to make it all come to life, much like the puppets that pepper these pages. All of it takes place back at the hotel where Toulon is hiding with his creations, his cousin who owns the place trying to keep a lid on it all. Loemann knows what hides there and so he makes a plan to get what he wants, that being the puppets as they contain what he needs – the secret of eternal life. A confrontation is eventually had between Toulon and the German where the latter reveals that despite the setbacks caused by Toulon and his puppets to prevent him from gaining the secret, he found where Toulon had buried the last remaining embers of it – in the grave of his wife. Toulon is angry, stricken with shock and grief as if his wife had just been struck down again and that is when everything hits the fan so to speak. There is a lot of action to be had in this last chapter and all of it is a do-or-die moment. There can be only one man left standing, only one person can come out on top in this power play and each man wants to be that man. For Toulon, it is all about love and reuniting with his wife. For Loemann, it is all about duty and at this point, a little bit of revenge for all the trouble he has had to go through in order to simply get this far. The rest of the players in this game do not matter anymore and yet when all is said and done, it ends in a bit of tragedy as the only ones left standing are the puppets. Even more strange is the fact that readers are made to feel a bit sad for the little murder machines as they have been left alone in the world, directionless and adrift. What are they to do now and should one of them perish or be injured, who will be there to fix them? Horror is a funny subject every now and then, especially when it can make a person feel for the monsters of the story and that is what happens here and that is what makes this book so good. A great book through and through and a shame it could not have gone on for longer.

4 out of 5