Ragman #2
Published and © by DC, October-November 1976
Title: “75-25 or Die”
Synopsis: Thugs keep looking for more than $2 million in missing loot – but find only pain when encountering Ragman.
Writer: Robert Kanigher
Artist (layouts): Joe Kubert
Penciler: Redondo Studio
Inker: Redondo Studio
Review: This second installment of Ragman is nearly as good as the first (see review of Ragman #1), with writer Robert Kanigher building on the moody atmosphere of the series’ debut. His hard-boiled-but-poetic style is a perfect fit for this title, and only an overly abrupt ending keeps this story from earning a perfect grade. The art, provided by the Redondo Studio over Joe Kubert’s layouts, remains up to the task; the Kubert influence is obvious, but one can also see traces of a Gene-Colan-like style. Could there be two better influences for a shadowy, atmospheric book like Ragman?
Grade: A-
Second opinion: Recommended by The Slings & Arrows Comic Guide (second edition), 2003.
Cool factor: Let’s give some love to that striking Joe Kubert cover.
Notable: Includes the one-page, public service notice “Justice for All Includes Children, 7,” with art by Neal Adams’ Continuity Associates.
Collector’s note: According to MyComicShop.com, there is a Mark Jewelers variant of this issue.
Character quotable: “Don’t bury yourself in this worthless graveyard of junk, Rory!” – Bette Berg, the not-so-understanding love interest
Editor’s note: This review was originally published by Comics Bronze Age on Dec. 1, 2009.
