Ragman #6 // Review
Magical warriors out of Camelot, rhyme-sputtering demons, and ancient, mystic rags that captures the souls of those its slain, Ragman issue 6, written by Ray Fawkes, art by Inkai Miranda, colors by Eva De La Cruz, and lettered by Josh Reed, brings the miniseries that surrounds Rory “Twig” Regan becoming Ragman to a close.
Previously, Rory had gone to his friend Frank’s house in order to check up on the family, however Frank Jr. had become possessed by the powers of the demon Z’Dragill. A war begins as Ragman, Etrigan, and Ystin, a warrior from Camelot, battle against Z’Dragill and the town that has fallen prey to his control. Rory is left to believe he only has one option to save the city from the demon’s control: he must give up the archaic rags to Z’Dragill.
Rory awakens, surrounded by his friends, the soldiers that were there with him the day he got these mystic rags in Israel, the ones who were killed and consumed by them too. Trapped inside the rags, Rory wishes to fade, believing that it is finally his turn to die. On the outside, Z’Dragill and Etrigan fight for control over the Suit of Souls that are still wrapped around Rory, while Ystin holds off the hordes of possessed people. Frank slaps reality into Rory, reminding him that the fight still needs to be fought, that this war isn’t over yet, and that they must rise to save Frank Jr. and the rest of the townsfolk. However, in order to gain an edge to defeat Z’Dragill, Ragman must make a sacrifice he doesn’t believe he’s prepared to make.
Ray Fawkes has written a new take on Rory in this miniseries. In past iterations, Rory’s religion was typically a strong factor, and he obtained the rags from his father’s shop which he usually inherited, none of which impacts Fawkes story. Rory does remain a soldier, and that alone is a primary force ushering the plot forward. Fawkes also adds in a key character that is one of Ragman’s rare team-up options, Etrigan. It was interesting to see what part the Demon played in this story, especially with the lack of Jason Blood appearing at all.
The art provided in this comic by Inkai Miranda seemed extravagant when demons and Ragman himself were prominently running around on the pages. However, when it came to the humans, such as those trapped inside of the mystic rags, the details dropped and became rather elementary, lacking anything greater than what was a bare necessity. The colors of the comic, provided by De La Cruz, remained rather darker in tone, which seemed fitting for the story being told, and Gotham itself typically seems like a dark and brooding place to begin with. Even the moments where flames consumed the page, they still didn’t seem vibrant and felt like they were dimmed down a bit, which again still fit perfectly with the series.
With this being Ragman’s first introduction into DC Rebirth since its start, the series felt full and complete. It introduces a new, yet familiar, character and gives him the building blocks to hopefully appear in more series later down the road. Rory continues on with his life in Gotham with the rags, so there is a good chance he’ll be drawn back into the continuity at some point down the line, whether it’s with Etrigan or someone from the Batfamily.
