| RAGMAN II (Gerry Regan) | BIOGRAPHY |
| Created by Keith Giffen, Robert Loren Fleming and Pat Broderick |
PERSONAL DATA
Real Name: Gerry Regan
Aliases: Jerzy Reganeiwicz
Identity: Secret
Occupation: Formely Jewish protector; later junk shop owner
Status: Deceased
Place of Birth: Unknown
Citizenship: Formerly Polish; later American
Marital Status: Widower
Known Relatives: Rory Regan (son); unnamed wife (deceased); Mr. Reganiewicz (father, deceased)
Base of Operation: Formerly Warsaw; later Gotham City
Gender: Male
Height: Unknown
Weight: Unknown
Hair: Originally reddish brown, later white
First Appearance: Ragman Vol. 2 #1 (October 1991): "Bones of the Defenseless"
Creators: Keith Giffen, Robert Loren Fleming and Pat Broderick
OVERVIEW
In 1939, Jerzy Reganiewicz was chosen to be the Ragman, the latest in a long line of Jewish supernatural defenders to wear a mystical rag suit. After failing to save the Jews of Europe from the Holocaust, Jerry travelled to the U.S., where the changed his name to Gerry Regan and opened a junk shop. When he was murdered, the role of Ragman was passed on to his son, Ragman.
HISTORY
Using the same spell that created the legendary Golem and substituting rags for clay, a council of Rabbis in 16th century Prague created a mystical Jewish guardian, a suit of rags and evil human souls which required a human host to bring it to life. The first Ragman has had many successors through the years. Jerzy Reganiewicz was one such successor, chosen by Rabbi Liebowitz in 1939.
When the Nazis started terrorizing, deporting and killing Jews in concentration camps, the new Ragman travelled across Europe, trying to make a difference. He finally ended up in the Warsaw Ghetto.
The Jewish community took a final stand against the Nazis, and the Ragman did his part. On May 15, 1943, when the tide of the battle clearly turned against the Jews and all hope was lost, the souls of the suit acted on their own and teleported Jerzy out of the city. Acting out of self-preservation, the souls sent Jerzy to somewhere he was needed and could make a difference. He was separated from Rabbi Liebowitz, who was sent to a concentration camp but survived. After the Second World War, the rabbi believed that Ragman had perished and created another Golem to defend the helpless.
Jerzy eventually came to America and americanized his name to Gerry Regan, but he never again wore the suit of rags. Unaware of the fact that the souls of the suit had whisked him away from danger, Gerry believed that he had been a coward and unworthy to call himself Jewish, and so he kept his heritage secret. late in life, he started a family and lived in Gotham City as the owner of Rags and Tatters (a junk shop). He had a son, Rory, and was widowed when the boy was no more than a baby. Gerry became a force of good in the everyday life of the people living in the slum. His shop hardly generated any profits, instead serving as a place where poor people could retain at least some pride by selling or pawning their possessions for more money than they were actually worth.
Regan was eventually killed by some thugs who wanted to use his shop as a front for selling drugs. He was survived by his son, Rory Regan, who carried on his legacy not only as a force of good in the neighbourhood but also as Ragman.
POWERS AND WEAPONS
The suit of rags gives its host great strength, agility, invulnerability and the ability to levitate and teleport by dissolving into rags. The suit is powered by the souls of the evil men it has absorbed – each soul becomes a new patch in the suit – and acts as a sort of purgatory. When a soul has worked off his or her sins, he or she is redeemed and can rest peacefully in the Afterlife.
When performing a feat, the Ragman draws upon the strength or skills of a certain amount of souls. The souls can also absorb impacts and pain for the Ragman.
The suit has at least two safety features. The first is a vulnerability to fire, so that the Ragman can be stopped in case the suit ends up in the wrong hands. The second is an instinct to flee and protect the suit itself and its host in the face of overwhelming odds.
CHRONOLOGY
For a definitive list of appearances of Ragman in chronological order click here