Ragman (character) — BrandWiki

Ragman (character)

character name	Ragman
publisher	DC Comics
debut	Ragman #1 (August/September 1976)
creators	Robert Kanigher Joe Kubert
alter ego	Rory Regan
alliances	Shadowpact Sentinels of Magic Outsiders Justice League Dark United States Marine Corps
powers	Enhanced physical attributes Enchanted costume Limited flight Skilled in the use of magic.

Ragman (Rory Regan) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He was originally created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Joe Kubert in 1976. Originally presented as a man of Irish descent, the character was revised to have Jewish heritage (his family name originally being Reganiewicz) and a connection to the Golem of Prague (a figure of Jewish folklore) in a 1991 mini-series by Keith Giffen, Robert Loren Fleming, Pat Broderick, and Anthony Tollin.[1] The same mini-series established Ragman's costume as a "Suit of Souls", and repeatedly drew him into conflict with mystical threats and granted him the power and skills of the souls it collected. The suit sometimes desired to collect new souls, forcing Ragman to exert great will if he didn't wish the suit to do so.

In his original stories, Ragman is a Vietnam War veteran and the sole survivor of an attack on his father and friends, inexplicably gaining their collective skills and strengths. Wearing a costume his father made out of rags, he uses these abilities to protect his neighborhood from criminals. Starting in 1991, Rory Regan's origin and nature were revised, making him a Vietnam veteran of Jewish heritage who inherits the mystical Suit of Souls after his father was killed by criminals.[2]

Publication history

In June, 1976, DC Comics began publishing the bi-monthly comic book series Ragman (volume 1). The series began in June, 1976 (cover dated September, 1976) and only lasted 5 issues before ending in April, 1977 (cover dated July, 1977). Ragman was created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist Joe Kubert.[4] The title character Rory Regan was presented as a vigilante who focused on standard urban crime threats such as gangsters, drug dealers, and thieves. After criminals cause power lines to fall to the ground, Rory, his father, and some friends of the family are simultaneously electrocuted. Rory is the only survivor, gaining the collective abilities and physical traits of the other men. The mini-series depicted Rory Reagan as a young man and former active member of the US Marine Corps who had served during the Vietnam War. The letters page of Ragman #3 specifically stated the character was intended by Kanigher and Kubert to be of Irish descent.

After his mini-series, this incarnation of Ragman did not appear regularly in the DC Comics universe beyond a minor cameo during the company-wide crossover Crisis on Infinite Earths. This same crossover resulted in much of DC Comics superhero canon being revised or rebooted. A new incarnation of Ragman with a new origin story was then presented in an 8-issue mini-series Ragman (vol. 2) which was published from July, 1991 (cover dated October, 1991) until March, 1992 (cover dated July, 1992). The mini-series was plotted by Keith Giffen, scripted by Robert Loren Fleming, illustrated by Pat Broderick, and colored by Anthony Tollin.[1] The mini-series reinterpreted Ragman as a magic-empowered character native to Gotham City who deals not only with urban crime but also mystical threats. Rory Regan is still a veteran of the Vietnam War, with the story establishing him now as a divorced man who is "pushing middle age" when he first dons the costume. The mini-series reveals that Rory's father was a Jewish man born with the name Reganiewicz, which he changed and shortened after immigrating to the United States. The mini-series established the Ragman costume as a mystical "Suit of Souls" created during the 16th century by the same people who created the Golem of Prague (a figure of Jewish folklore).[1][2] After the Golem is deemed dangerous, it is decided a human champion should be empowered rather than a soulless being made of clay. The mini-series establishes there have been several to carry the mantle of Ragman before Rory, including his own father Gerry, who attempted to protect Jews from Nazis during World War II. Now inheriting the costume and role, Rory Regan is depicted as a hero who struggles to control the Suit of Souls and not give into his emotions when facing criminals. The mini-series includes a cameo by Batman and ends with Rory leaving Gotham to relocate to New Orleans.

A year later, Ragman appeared again in the 6-issue mini-series Ragman: Cry of the Dead, published from May to November 1993. The story takes place in New Orleans and involves Voodoo magical practices and beliefs. The story also details more of Rory's romantic past concerning a lost love and his later marriage and divorce involving another woman.[5]

Ragman appeared again in a two-part story published in Batman #551 and 552, published in December, 1997, and January, 1998, respectively (though the issues are cover dated as February, 1998, and March, 1998). The story depicts Rory returning to Gotham City from New Orleans, only to then lose control of his Suit of Souls as it hunts down evil men to kill and absorb. After seeking aid from Batman and a rabbi, the story ends with Rory regaining control of his suit.[6]

In 1999, Ragman plays a role in the Day of Judgment mini-series, acting as a defender for Earth against a demon invasion. At the conclusion of the Day of Judgment mini-series, he joins a loose organization of mystically empowered heroes known as the Sentinels of Magic.[7]

In the 2005-2006 mini-series Day of Vengeance, a tie-in to the company-wide crossover Infinite Crisis, Ragman joins Shadowpact, a group of magic-users who oppose the Spectre. Following Infinite Crisis, Ragman was a regular cast member of the Shadowpact comic book series. The series was published from 2006 to 2008, ending after 25 issues, and revised parts of Ragman's history, saying the costume had originally come into being in 1812 BCE and could take on different forms (such as a knife or spear) without altering its powers.[8] In the series, the Shadowpact group faces a group of villains known as the Pentacle, a member of whom is an evil Ragman counterpart known as Bagman.[9] The team, Ragman included, then appeared in DC's Reign in Hell crossover mini-series in 2008.

In 2010, a one-shot comic entitled Ragman: Suit of Souls was produced by writer Christos N. Gage, artist Steven Segovia, colorist David Curiel, and letterer Rob Leigh. The one-shot did not reference revelations about the character made in the Shadowpact series. While retelling the origin established in the 1991 mini-series, the comic added that Gerry Regan had already been middle-aged or older when Rory was born and that Rory still seemed to be a man in his 40s due to the Suit of Souls slowing down his aging. This was to allow for Rory to continue being a Vietnam War veteran with a father who had been active as Ragman during World War II. The one-shot established that the souls of Ragman's costume are redeemed in part by acknowledging and understanding the harm they caused.[10]

In 2011, DC Comics revised its entire superhero universe with its "New 52" line of comic books. In 2015, the New 52 version of Rory Regan appears as someone identical in nature and appearance to his Post-Crisis/Pre-New 52 incarnation.[11] DC Comics then revised large parts of its New 52 canon during the 2016 event DC Rebirth.

Another version of Rory Regan appeared in the 2017 six-issue mini series Ragman (vol. 3). The mini-series was written by Ray Fawkes, illustrated by Inaki Miranda, and colored by Eva de la Cruz, with covers by Guillem March. This mini-series depicts a Ragman with an entirely new appearance and slightly different abilities, now using souls directly as fuel for his powers.

Powers and abilities

The original pre-Crisis incarnation of Ragman possesses the physical abilities of his father's friends who died in front of him. This includes: the strength of a circus strongman, the fighting skills and stamina of a heavyweight boxer, and the agility of a world-class acrobat. This version of Ragman wears a costume of ordinary patchwork cloth made by his father.

As established in 1991, the post-Crisis incarnation of Ragman wears a Suit of Souls made up of corrupt souls different Ragmen have encountered over the centuries. This collection of souls lend their power to Ragman, giving him superhuman strength, speed, and stamina, as well as mystical abilities such as gliding on air currents, mentally manipulating his cloak and rags to attack or ensnare others, and being able to sense magical and demonic forces. The suit protects Ragman in a few different ways, healing him from injuries, shielding him from physical and magical attacks, or temporarily dispersing his body as a collection of rags so that attacks simply pass through him. On at least one occasion, the suit protects Ragman from the vacuum of space and provides him air to breathe.[11] If he focuses, Ragman can mentally connect with the souls making up his suit and speak to each one individually to draw on their knowledge. The Suit of Souls automatically materializes around the current Ragman when they are all to answer an act of evil or when the Ragman is in danger and needs power.

Ragman's Suit of Souls is drawn to evil people and hungers for new souls to absorb. Ragman can allow this or attempt to restrain the rags, as the person targeted will die in the process. The suit seems to only absorb souls it deems truly evil and who have faced no justice. The suit would not absorb the soul of supervillain Blue Moon who had already served time in prison, thus not requiring special punishment. The suit also would not attack teenager and hero Billy Batson, deemed "innocent.", and thus couldn't be harmed. Taking a soul adds a new patch of cloth to the suit and increases Ragman's power, though the process of acquiring a new soul causes Ragman to feel ill temporarily. It has been indicated that some souls are released after helping Ragman for long enough time while others leave and gain redemption only after they also understand how their actions in life were harmful. The number of souls Ragman's suit possesses is unknown, but he remarks it is "somewhere over 100."

In the 2006 series Shadowpact, it is said the suit can take on other forms and has done so repeatedly over the years, appearing as a cloak in ancient Egypt, a spear during the Roman Empire, and a dagger in Victorian England.[14] Subsequent stories do not reference this as part of the suit's nature.[10]

In the 2017 Ragman mini-series, a version of Ragman is presented with a different origin and nature. In this version of the character, the suit can absorb the souls of anyone, not just the corrupt. Those souls act as fuel for Ragman's powers and are released when their energy is spent.

Shadowpact

In the Shadowpact series, Ragman, along with his teammates, was trapped inside a shield of solid blood that grew over the town of Riverrock, Wyoming. Ragman and the rest of the team spend a very short period of time inside the shield, but due to magical after-effects, a full year passes outside. Various mystical heroes, such as Phantom Stranger and Rex the Wonder Dog keep watch outside the town's borders.

While inside Riverrock, Rory and Shadowpact faced off against the supervillain group that had formed the shield: the Pentacle. His Pentacle counterpart is named Bagman. He dresses in similar green garb, and can turn his body to goo and absorb people while in this form. While inside Bagman they either suffocate or they are digested. Bagman even mentioned how oddly similar Shadowpact and the Pentacle are. Rory only survives this encounter because Bagman's boss does not want the heroes to be killed. After the Riverrock encounter, Rory must deal with the severe disruption to his life, as everyone had thought he was dead. He, like most of the team, ends up having to find a new source of income, a place to stay and the oddity of encountering a memorial statue to the entire team.

In Shadowpact #8, Rory was temporarily trapped in the limbo dimension of his own cloak. He met the soul of an ancient centurion working off his crimes. This man, Marcus Liberius, first saved him from the beating several other of the murderous souls were giving Rory. Marcus reveals that the cloak was actually the "Great Collector Artifact", which has been in existence in many forms since the time of Abraham. Ragmen in Rory's line have been in action since 1812 BCE.[13] Marcus also helped Rory, who had become disenchanted with the job of collecting corrupted souls, to see that he is not a punisher but a redeemer — allowing a better afterlife for those who work for it. This work usually takes the form of suffering on Rory's behalf. For example, Rory had been recently blinded by magic. Marcus willingly takes this blindness on, adding to previous injuries he had suffered. This last sacrifice allows Marcus, in the full view of the rest of the Shadowpact, to ascend to a higher realm.[14]

Rory, along with Nightmaster and Nightshade, attempted to teleport to Washington D.C to break up a bank robbery. They were trapped in mid-transit in the Land of Nightshades.