Ragman #1

History

Writer Robert Kanigher and artist/editor Joe Kubert conceived the character as a deliberate departure from the dominant superhero template — a hero defined by poverty rather than wealth or accident-born power. Kubert handled cover art and layouts while the brothers Nestor and Frank Redondo (credited as Redondo Studios) executed interior pencils and inks; Kubert's specific layout contribution was not publicly acknowledged until the letters page of issue #5. Executive editor Joe Orlando oversaw the book, with Bob Rozakis also listed in an editorial capacity, and the issue shipped on or around May 10, 1976, carrying a September 1976 cover date. The series was conceived as an ongoing title but folded after only five bi-monthly issues, a casualty of the broader mid-1970s contraction that claimed several DC launches of the era.

Trivia · 8 facts

• First appearance and full origin story of Ragman (Rory Regan), titled 'Origin of the Tatterdemalion,' published by DC Comics with a cover date of September 1976 (on-sale approximately May 10, 1976).
• Created by writer Robert Kanigher and artist/editor Joe Kubert; interior art executed by Redondo Studios (brothers Nestor and Frank Redondo), with Kubert providing layouts — a credit not confirmed in print until the Ragman #5 letters page.
• Rory Regan is introduced as a Vietnam War veteran (specifically, a former U.S. Marine) who operates a Gotham pawn shop called Rags 'n' Tatters; his father Gerry Regan and three associates die in the issue, passing their collective physical abilities to Rory through an electrocution event.
• The lead story also introduces supporting characters Bette Berg and establishes the Rags 'n' Tatters shop as Rory's civilian base — both fixtures throughout the short original run.
• A text backup story, 'A Rag and a Bone and a Bag of Gold,' by E. Nelson Bridwell also appears in the issue.
• The original character was conceived as Irish-American — a fact confirmed on the Ragman #3 letters page — before the 1991 Giffen/Fleming/Broderick mini-series revised his heritage to Jewish and transformed the costume into the mystical 'Suit of Souls' rooted in the Golem of Prague legend.
• The original five-issue series (1976–77) was the character's only solo ongoing for over a decade; after a cameo in Crisis on Infinite Earths, Ragman received an 8-issue post-Crisis mini-series in 1991 (vol. 2) followed by the 6-issue Ragman: Cry of the Dead in 1993.
• Ragman appeared in the live-action Arrowverse series Arrow (Season 5, 2016–2017), portrayed by Canadian actor Joe Dinicol, bringing renewed attention to the character's 1976 debut issue.

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