Ragman
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Ragman is a fictional mystic vigilante and superhero who first appeared in the short-lived series named after him. He is one of a limited number of Jewish superheroes, and his continuity is tied to that of DC's Golem, from Jewish folklore.
He is sometimes compared to the other night-time defender of Gotham City, Batman.
[edit] Character history
Rory Regan is a ragman, doing good in his community by buying used items from people who need money. The suit of rags that he wears was originally just a costume made from materials found around the rag shop he shared with his father, Rags'n'Tatters. This was retconned in a 1991 limited series, and currently each of the patches in the suit is made from the soul of an evildoer that the Ragman had punished and absorbed.
The absorption of these souls caused a problem for Rory at one point, when the evil souls hungered for murder and finally freed themselves of Ragman. It was only with the support of Batman and Regan's old friend, Rabbi Luria, that he regained control, though at the cost of Luria's life. Ragman's powers have increased since then. Currently, he can absorb souls into his costume. With each new soul added, a rag is added. He can call upon the souls in his costume to lend him their attributes or power. He is also a very proficient magic user.
Ragman is one of the members of the Shadowpact, a team that formed to confront the Spectre in DC Comics 2005 Day of Vengeance limited series, a lead-up to the seven-issue Infinite Crisis limited series. They continue to be active.
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. They spent about a year inside the town, but the story shifts between the team just entering the shield and the events of a year later.
While inside Riverrock, Rory met an evil counterpart of himself belonging to the supervillain group that had formed the shield, the Pentacle. His counterpart is named Bagman. He/it dresses in similar green garb, and can turn his body to goo and while in this form he absorbs people. While inside Bagman they either suffocate or they are digested. Bagman even mentioned how oddly similar the Shadowpact and the Pentacle are.
[edit] Ragman Appearances
- Ragman issues 1 through 5, published from 1976 through 1977
- Cancelled Comics Cavalcade issue 2, published in 1978
- Batman Family issue 20, published in 1978
- The Brave and the Bold issue 196, published in 1983
- Crisis on Infinite Earths issue 5, published in 1985
- Red Tornado issue 3, published in 1985
- Ragman issues 1 through 8, published from 1991 through 1992
- Ragman: Cry of the Dead issues 1 through 6, published from 1993 through 1994
- Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight issues 51 and 100, published in 1993 and 1997
- Batman issues 551 and 552, published in 1998
- JLA: The Nail issues 1 and 3, published in 1998
- Day of Judgment issues 1 through 5, published in 1999
- Day of Judgment Secret Files issue 1, published in 1999
- Martian Manhunter issue 28, published in 2001
- Day of Vengeance issues 1 through 6, published in 2005
- Day of Vengeance Special published in 2005
- Robin issues 143 through 145, published from 2005 through 2006
- Infnite Crisis issues 2 and 5, published in 2006
- Shadowpact from issue 1 on, published from 2006 onward
- 52 issues 1 and 18, published in 2006
