Puppeteer is a fantasy webcomic created by Eightfish. The comic begins when a self-proclaimed minor goddess offers Eli the ability to leave his body and take control of people. To her displeasure, all he wants to do with this newfound power is float around, people-watch and neglect his actual friends.
Puppeteer is an ongoing webcomic that can be read on Webtoons
and Tapas, as well as on its own site.
General Tropes:
- Affably Evil: J is charismatic and will still try to convince you to possess other people. It's how Eli took her deal, despite disagreeing with her motivations.
- Big Bad Friend: J and Eli's relationship, with J being the bad friend.
- Black Eyes of Evil: Subverted. Possessed people have eyes black from corner to corner when being controlled, but not all possession forces control, as with Eli and Sam.
- Deal with the Devil: Eli makes a deal with J and it is implied to be this.
- Demonic Possession: The main plot device. J's victims, Eli, and then Sam.
- Escapism: Eli's motivations in the beginning of the story. J offers power, which he's not interested in, and the ability to leave his life, which he is.
- It Amused Me: J's stated reason for making a deal with Eli.
- Manipulative Bastard: J nearly kills Sam by dropping a pillar on her, in order to force Eli to possess her to save her life.
- Only Sane Man: Lily to Sam's impulsivity and as a foil to Eli's decision making in general. Sam makes decisions such as going alone to a warehouse at night to a fight and getting possessed by Eli and Lily has to play catch up after the fact, often as a voice of reason.
- Our Gods Are Different: J is a "self-proclaimed" minor goddess, and it is implied that there are others like her.
- People Puppets: The main crux of the conflict and all the ethical implications that come with it.
- Playing with Fire: Sam. And then Eli after he possesses her
- Safe, Sane, and Consensual: Sam and Eli, in contrast to J's victims.
- Symbiotic Possession: The possession is all at least somewhat consensual.
