The episode, largely focused on the building of Green Arrow's new team (consisting of Wild Dog, Mister Terrific, and what I can only assume will be the new Black canary) was well received on Twitter (at least from the #Ragman tweets I saw) and various other social media platforms.
But let's scrap the official sound of this post and get into the specifics shall we? What did I think of it? How is this Ragman, so far, different from the Ragman of the comic books? How is he the same? And will I EVER get back to semi-regular posting on this blog?
Let me tackle those one by one:
1) What did I think of it?
Overall? I liked it. Ragmans suit translated well to live action, though I believe the mask itself could be a little more...form fitting. His suit had almost Spawn-like tendrils that reached out and ensnared anyone in his vicinity. Though it's unclear exactly what effect they have on those they made contact with. Is it just physically tossing people about? Is this how he absorbs souls? I suppose those questions will have to be left to be answered in later episodes. His voice was altered in such a way that it evoked a "creepy/mystical" vibe but it bordered on unintelligible at times. The effects team of 'Arrow' have always been good at tweaking as they go though so I don't see this as something that will remain an issue for very long.
As for Rory himself? Well, we didn't get much of him. And what we DID get will lead me into answering the other questions. So let's move on then.
2) How is this Ragman, so far, different from the Ragman of the comic books?
Let's take his looks off the table for now (though, let's be honest, aside from the lack of a cape and the addition of a hooded trench-coat, he's pretty much right off the page). Firstly, this Ragman is NOT from Gotham. It's POSSIBLE that he was born in and lived (for a time) in Gotham, but if this is true, it has yet to be revealed. This version of Rory hails from Havenrock, the city/town that was obliterated after the nuclear missile hit it towards the end of Season 4. A missile Felicity redirected away from Star City midair. So there will be some tension there I suppose. As such, the suit has a radioactive signature, which Felicity herself states in the episode. It's worth noting that, APPARENTLY, the radiation did NOT give the suit it's abilities. So far it merely gives the Arrow team a convenient means of tracking Ragman. How do I know this? Well, other than the express statements MADE in the episode itself by Felicity and Oliver, Rory himself hints at it later. Which leads me to how this Ragman is the same. So let me move on.
3) How is he the same?
In order to get a grasp on this, I need to directly quote Rory from the episode. After their meeting, Green Arrow and Ragman meet on a rooftop where Rory demasks and has a brief exchange with Green Arrow on his history and motivation. "I think it's what my father would've wanted me to do. He saved my life. On Genesis Day he wrapped me in these rags. He said they were ancient, from the time of Devarim, that they would protect me from the fire." Ok first, let me say that we have another difference from the comic book version stated here we need to tally up. In the comics, the Post-Crisis Ragman (who we CLEARLY are dealing with in this iteration) was weak to fire. Fire was the only thing capable of destroying the suit. Ok. moving on. Similarities. Rory calls the rags "ancient, from the time of Devarim". It took me FOREVER to figure out what that word was because it SOUNDED like "dave eyereem". Luckily I figured it out. Add to this the fact that earlier in the episode Felicity says a piece of the suit she had analyzed was, "over 2,000 years old" and we have our similarity. This suit, and presumably it's powers, are CLEARLY linked to Judaic mythology/folklore. Now the ORIGINAL story had Ragman be the creation of Rabbi's following the Legend of the Golem. According to wikipedia (hey, I'm not an expert in Judaism) "the most famous golem narrative involves Judah Loew ben Bezalel, the late-16th-century rabbi of Prague." The late 16th century puts us around the 1500's AD. Devarim is MUCH older than that as it takes place JUST before the death of Moses. Yeah, THAT Moses. Which, depending on where you look, is estimated to be around 1201 BC to 1273 BC (though I did find one account presuming his death around 1407 BC). Either way, that places the origins of the Ragman suit WAY before the Legend of the Golem, which WOULD be a difference, but the fact that it's still being rooted so heavily in Judaic legend leads me to count it as a similarity. The Legend of the Golem, at least the famous one, was from 500+ years ago, nowhere close to Felicity's stated, "over 2,000 years". Though 3,000 years is, technically, "over 2,000 years" I'm still counting it.
So what's Devarim and how does it related to Ragman? Well, in short? It doesn't. Not directly. In the comics, Ragman is known as the Tatterdemalion of Justice (see the header to this very blog). Davarim is a reference to a section of what Christians call Deuteronomy from the Holy Bible. Paraphrased from Deuteronomy Chapter 1, verses 3 and 5: "It came to pass...that Moses spoke to the children of Israel according to all that the Lord had commanded him regarding them...on that side of the Jordan, in the land of Moab, Moses commenced and explained this Law."
Devarim is, if I'm reading these various sources right, a reference to the explanation of God's Law to his people via Moses. Law. JUSTICE.
According to another source, "Tzedek, “justice”, is a key word in the book of Devarim – most famously in the verse: Justice, justice you shall pursue, so that you may thrive and occupy the land that the Lord your God is giving you. (Deut. 16:20)"
Justice is obviously a heavy theme for Ragman. As is, according to his origins when tied to the Golem, "emet" meaning "Truth". It can be said that Justice and Truth are one and the same at times. So...similarity.
Whew, I've exhausted my knowledge of Devarim. I hope all of that made sense.
4) Will I EVER get back to semi-regular posting on this blog?
Without over explaining? Yes. I can't give you a time table. Nor can I tell you it'll happen every two weeks or something. But suffice it to say that between The LanternCast, my new podcast The Action Comics Weekly Podcast, and my real life responsibilities...I'm pretty taxed. But I DO miss blogging. And if there's ONE blog I want to keep going, it's this one.
Alright folks, thank you for reading! Please don't forget to comment below! It's the only way I know you're out there reading!
PS: Everyone out there posting images of 'Arrow's new Ragman? THIS is not Ragman...
THIS is Prometheus. Someone ENTIRELY different. Thank you for reading!
Good post, Chad. I confess that we gave up on the search for "Dave Ahreem" or "Davi Rheem" or any of the other things we tried. Good work getting a good answer. "Justice" works as a character's theme, as well as "Truth" does, especially in the DCU. All we need is the American Way ...
ReplyDeleteI think that "more than 2,000 years old" is a general way of saying "before the time of Christ," even if "more than 3,000 years old" is just as accurate. That clearly puts it in the Old Testament period, which was enough for this first appearance.
Moving away from the Golem concept might make some sense, only in that I've seen a lot of Golems in sci-fi TV the last few decades. So although taking a different take on Jewish mysticism does move him from his comics roots, I think keeps him in the same "spirit" as the original.
It may make sense, but it deprives us of an opportunity for a cool old flashback involving the Golem. I mean, TECHNICALLY you could still tie it in with the Golem, make the Golem just something that happened when the Ragman couldn't be found once upon a time or something. But I feel I'm reaching for an opportunity to showcase that on screen. Let's face it, the CW may give us a devout Jew on screen, but I REALLY doubt we're going to see a flashback to Moses himself you know? Or the Israelites in the desert?
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