In this episode, Henry and Brandon discuss the obscure but VERY Jewish super hero RAGMAN!
Episode 7: 1991 mini and Arrow episodes (maybe Suit of Souls)
Episode 8: Batman two-parter, Shadowpact #8
Henry - Excerpted from p. 124, From Krakow to Krypton: Jews and Comic Books by Arie Kaplan
“Rory Regan, a character [Robert] Kanigher and [Joe] Kubert created in 1976. A Batman-style vigilante who operated out of Gotham City and wore a dilapidated costume made of the rags from the junk shop he shared with his dad, Ragman first appeared in five issues of his own short-lived series in 1976-1977. Appropriately enough for a character dressed in rags, Ragman fought crime in the ghetto, and his targets were often average gangsters and hoods rather than supervillains. This gave Ragman the air of a social crusader, not unlike Siegel’s and Shuster’s early Superman stories.”
Originally Irish - Rory Regan
1991 series, he was reimagined as a Jewish character
Brandon
16th Century Edict limiting Jews to work ragpicking
That same section in From Krakow to Krypton weirdly claims
The decision to make the character Jewish was a mutual one. “We created him with a Jewish heritage, although we didn’t make a big to-do about it,” said Kubert.
Interview with Pat Broderick
Joe Kubert discusses Ragman as Jewish from the start (not Irish) in From Krakow to Krypton
Ragman 1991 mini series
three or four panels from issue 1
two things from issue 2
a lot in issue 3
one Jewish thing from issue 8
issue 1, page 11 starts the word Emet, pages 12-13 show the Golem and Emet in Warsaw
and page 15 has him placing a stone on his father's grave
issue 2, page 16 has a sentence "true repentance requires acknowledgment of the sin," pages 23-24 have golem and the rabbi showing up
Issue 3 - whole issue
issue 6 has the Golem fight page 1. the 42 thing
issue 7, page 3 has the lady offering to cook spam for the rabbi - spam ain't kosher
and in issue 8, page 4, we have the rabbi heading to Tel Aviv
Ragman #3, Dec 1991
“The Folktale”
Plot and Breakdowns by Keith Giffen
Scripted by Robert Loren Fleming
Art by Pat Broderick
Colored by Anthony Tollin
Lettered by Albert Deguzman
Edited by Kevin Dooley and Andrew Helfer
Ragman #6, March 1992
“Shreds”
Plot and Breakdowns by Keith Giffen
Scripted by Robert Loren Fleming
Art by Pat Broderick
Colored by Anthony Tollin
Lettered by Albert Deguzman
Edited by Kevin Dooley and Andrew Helfer