Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Ragman and Spider-Man




Ragman is a long-standing DC character that to the best of my knowledge has never made the leap to other media, even in shows like Justice League Unlimited and Batman: The Brave and the Bold, which featured lots of lesser known heroes and villains.  That's too bad, because I think he would look really cool in animation.  He might also fit in on Arrow if DC wanted to go the live action route.

This story continues on tomorrow's cover , so stay tuned!

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

One of my favorite Brave & the Bold team-up characters for Batman. I really liked these late '70s, gritty urban heroes usually written by Robert Kanigher, Denny O'Neil or Mike W. Barr and drawn by one of the Kubert klan or Jim Aparo. In my not-so humble opinion, no era will ever beat the late 1970s-early 1980s of comic book publishing, the REAL golden age! Then again, they say nothing is better than the music, art, books and media that you were exposed to when you were 13 years old!

Anonymous said...

@ my fellow Anonymous: in my book, the Silver Age didn't end until the last page of COIE #12. After that, things began to shine less and less brightly for DC. Until now, they're completely--and maybe even permanently--tarnished!

But, yes, I agree. Ragman was one of their more blindingly brilliant inventions.

As for Ragman not having an animated counterpart? By the early 1990's, McFarlane's Spawn had already had his own cartoon series (USA Network, I think). So, the corporate head honchos at DC probably thought they'd be accused of copycatting if they did the same with Ragman.*

In the meantime, here's a little missive that might amuse you.

"Ragman and Spider-Man!
Huckleberry pie!
V-I-C-T-O-R-Y!
Can they get one?
Well, I guess.
If they kick the
Bad Guy's - - s!"

*As if that's ever stopped TV networks, before!

Bob Buethe said...

Spawn and Ragman? I don't get the comparison. Unless you're talking about the post-Crisis Ragman, which I've never read. I heard it has something to do with Jewish mysticism and the collecting of souls, so I guess that's where you're coming from.

The original Ragman was an ordinary (but very athletic) guy in a costume of rags -- basically, what Batman might have been if Bruce Wayne was dead broke. And he was Irish.

Dr. OTR said...

I'm pretty sure the animated Batman: the Brave and the Bold spinoff comic book did a Ragman episode. So that's close. But not quite the same as seeing him on the screen.

Anonymous said...

Yes, BB, I was referring to the post-Crisis Ragman. And, you're dead right about the Silver Age Ragman, as well.*

*Insert "two thumbs up" icon, here.

Anonymous said...

Nope, Dr. OTR, no Ragman episode of Batman: B&B. Too bad because they tackled a lot of other obscure characters, esp. in the cold opens.
I kinda hoped they might do their own version of the classic B&B comic and have villains try to menace the animators to get them to create an episode where Batman loses. That coulda been fun.
(Man, Bob Haney was caaaaaaa-razy.....)

Glenn said...

He got one call right with him appearing on Arrow recently.

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