I recently bought a stack of comics, many of which finish runs on older titles that I've had gaps in for quite a while. In finishing these short runs, I figured I would go back and re-read the entire series, write down some thoughts and possibly spark some conversation.
First up is the 5-issue Ragman series from 1975. Created by Bob Kanigher and Joe Kubert, Ragman is a visually striking character, which is what attracted me to him to begin with lo those many years ago. In the current version of Ragman, Rory Regan is Jewish and a letter writer in an issue even asks if this Rory is Jewish but Bob Kanigher's response is 'No, Rory is of Irish Descent.' Rory's girlfriend though, Bette Berg, is Jewish.
In reading the entire series in one sitting there are a few things which seem to change every couple of issues. It's as if Bob Kanigher (who wrote all 5 issues) either forgot what he wrote in previous issues or changed it on purpose but since the changes are minute and don't really change the structure of the story he's trying to tell my bet is that he forgot and didn't bother to check his previous work.
For instance, for the first four issues the mob is looking for 2 million dollars of bank loot, that was hidden in a mattress and found its way to the junk yard behind the Rags N Tatters Pawn Shop. In the 5th issue, it's only 1 million dollars that the mob is looking for.
Ragman's Powers - In the 1st issue we are introduced to Rory Regan's father and his buddies; a Boxer that almost beat the heavyweight champ, a Circus Strongman and a prize-winning Acrobat. When the mob shows up looking for their money, they shoot down power lines to try and torture the information out of Rory's father and his buddies (because Rory's dad and friends just found out about the money in the mattress and the mob knows they know...somehow).
Rory appears and reaches to save his dad and friends and promptly gets electrocuted for his deed. Even though we are never told straightforward within the story, the electricity was supposed to have passed on the traits of the four men to Rory (although it appears the only trait his father had was that of a great drinker!). The thing is Rory Regan is a Vietnam Veteran so I can imagine that he is already pretty decent at hand-to-hand fighting.
Ragman's Costume - In the 1st issue, after Rory's dad has been killed by the mob, Rory enters the Pawn Shop to call the police and finds a note from his father. Even though it is partially obscured by Rory's hand, we get the gist of the note that the Ragman suit was brought in by a stranger and Rory's father thought it would be a great costume for Rory to wear to Bette's costume party. Hey, that happens to me all the time!
In the 3rd issue, Rory is musing that he doesn't know where his father got the Ragman costume and in the 5th issue we are back to the note and the costume being dropped off by a stranger.
I like the stranger angle and if the book had lasted longer I would have liked to see them explore the origins of the costume. Make it so that there was always a Ragman from the Revolutionary War forward. Ragman could have been a guerilla terrorist against British soldiers, who viewed him more as a ghost and boogeyman.
Rory Regan's personality also seems to change when wearing the costume and his cape, or cloak, also seems to have a life of its own. Rory becomes very silent with practically no thought balloons. When Ragman saves club singer Opal from mobsters, she immediately falls for Ragman. So much so that I thought she was going to rip off her clothes and rape our hero! So does the costume emit a sexual pheromone when it finds a woman attractive?
All of these clues tells me that the costume does have some sort of mystical power.
In all 5 issues, Ragman never fights a "super-villain." The closest thing he came to a super-villain was an amusement park-owning drug dealer who threw electrically charged silver coins at our hero.
There is a Joe Kubert-drawn silent story in issue 4 involving grave robbers. It is superbly drawn and I was surprised that there were "silent" stories back in 1975! Could this have been the first? Or, at least, DC's first?
The lead feature of the 4th issue has a sequence involving Ragman in a morgue with the Medical Examiner and a police lt. This is the first time that Ragman is seen cooperating with police but the Lt. and Medical Examiner are talking to each other as if Ragman is not there at all. Only after Ragman leaves do they want to ask him a question and notice he is gone, even though Ragman walks out in plain sight! It's a really strange sequence and I wonder if Kanigher was trying to tell us something about Ragman's mystical costume.
Ragman's next appearance was in Batman Family #20, which I will read and see if any new developments in the Ragman character appear!
Replies
I've read two or three of the issues. I wanted to like the series but I think I found the stories too thinly-plotted. Kanigher also wrote the Ragman team-up with Batman in The Brave and the Bold #196, which had art by Jim Aparo.
The Spirit sometimes did silent stories. There may have been some published in EC's or DC's war comics; I have an idea I've read about a DC one.
Another interesting thing about the first issue are the two pages below. They have a really nice flow to them and really stand out from the rest of the issue. The 2nd page was also used as the cover image so I'm really wondering if Kanigher came up with these two pages and crafted his opening around them!
Man, I love that second page you posted. I've seen Kubert do something similar to that in a Sgt. Rock story I read. It looks so cool.
Batman Family #20: Enter The Ragman!
This turns out to be just another chapter in the Ragman saga. Since the Rags N Tatters junkyard/pawn shop DOES reside in the seamier side of Gotham City, it makes since that Ragman would meet up with Batman very quickly.
Written by David V. Reed (who also wrote as David Vern and Coram Nobis AND had a several year run writing the Batman title) with ridiculously awesome Art by Michael Golden (who also drew a Man-Bat story in the issue), Ragman, again, does not fight a super-villain but a bunch of real estate swindlers.
It does move Ragman's story forward as the epilogue shows Bruce Wayne visiting Rory Regan at the store and explaining that the Wayne Foundation will underwrite a "generous" grant so that Rory can continue his "work" throughout Gotham. It must be explained that the World's Greatest Detective recognized Ragman's voice as Rory Regan's, whom Batman overheard earlier in the story. This is in line with Batman "recruiting" Gotham-based heroes to help him in his fight and might be the earliest instance, in fact.
It's kind of funny that in Ragman's title, Rory's girlfriend Bette wanted Rory to close up the shop and just leave it because it was barely making a profit and, after all, it's a junkyard! By the end of Enter the Ragman, Bette seems happy for Rory getting the grant and thereby enabling him to stay at the pawn shop/junkyard!
Ragman next appeared (with Batman) in Brave and the Bold #196. I don't have that issue but if anyone else has it and can post anything about the story that may move Ragman's story forward then please do!
Man, between Joe Kubert and Michael Golden, Ragman has a rich history of incredible artists, huh? Sadly, I've never had that much interest in the character. I would love to see a Ragman art book, though.