| Ragman | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Ragman_(DC_Comics_character).jpg) Ragman as depicted in Ragman: Suit of Souls #1 (October 2010). Art by Jesús Saíz. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| First appearance | Ragman #1 (August/September 1976) |
| Created by | Robert Kanigher Joe Kubert |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Rory Regan |
| Team affiliations | Shadowpact Sentinels of Magic Outsiders Justice League Dark United States Marine Corps |
| Abilities | Enhanced physical attributes Enchanted costume Limited flight Skilled in the use of magic. |
Ragman (Rory Regan), nicknamed the "tattered tatterdemalion of justice",[1] 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.[1] 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.[2] 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.[3] Worn by many champions over the centuries, each patch of the costume possesses the soul of a corrupt person who offers their skills, knowledge, protection, and strength to Ragman to earn redemption and release. The series Shadowpact said Ragman's costume was first created in 1812 BCE and has taken on different forms in different eras, but this idea has not been recognized in other stories.[4] In 2017, a revised version of Ragman was introduced with a new origin, appearance, and nature.
Ragman appeared in the fifth and final seasons of the Arrowverse television series Arrow, portrayed by Joe Dinicol.
- ^ a b Ragman #1-5. DC Comics, September 1976-July 1977.
- ^ Ragman (vol. 2) #1-8. DC Comics, July 1991 to March 1992.
- ^ Ragman's Jewish heritage is discussed in the nonfiction book From Kraków To Krypton, written by Arie Kaplan (Jewish Publication Society, 2008), p. 125 ISBN 978-0-8276-0843-6
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:6was invoked but never defined (see the help page).