WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for the Justice League Dark story "Dangerous Things" by Ram V, Xermanico, Romulo Fajardo Jr., Rob Leigh, Andrea Shea, and Alex R. Carr, featured in Justice League #60, available now
DC's team of occult heroes, the Justice League Dark, appear to be growing their ranks with the addition of two new members. The team faces off against the sorcerer Merlin, whose recent return threatens not just Earth, but also Heaven and Hell.
The team has previously confronted some of the most horrifying supernatural threats in the multiverse and survived, but Merlin is a foe unlike any other. Ram V and Xermanico's Justice League Dark feature in Justice League #60 brings in two classic DC heroes who might be able to help: Ragman and Valdemar of the Flame.
The story of Merlin's return is connected to Future State: Justice League Dark by Ram V and Marcio Takara, which depicts a possible dystopian future in which the Arthurian warlock has seized control of all magic on Earth. Anyone who did not bow to his will was burnt at the stake. The story ends with Doctor Fate giving a message to Etrigan, who--being a demon--does not perceive time linearly, so his present-day self can remember the conversation from this possible future and work to prevent it from coming about.
In the newest Justice League Dark story, Merlin kills a man at a bookstore. Shortly afterward, Rory Regan (AKA Ragman) enters the shop and discovers the dead clerk's body being devoured by condor-like creatures. Rory reaches into his jacket sleeve, pulling out the corner of an old tattered cloth with runes stitched into it. He calls for "Valdemar, hunter soul," saying that he will consider a debt paid in exchange for a few more kills. With these words, Rory's Ragman suit envelops him and he leaps into battle. In Future State: Justice League Dark, Rory also makes a brief appearance as the proprietor of a magic shop called Relics'n'Riches (a reference to the Rags'n'Tatters shop his father originally owned in the comics). This connects him to the team and their struggles with Merlin.
Ragman was created by Joe Kubert and Robert Kanigher. He wears a tattered outfit comprised of a cloak and bodysuit, known as the Suit of Souls, which contains the souls of evil people trapped within. The people's spirits can lend their strength to Rory, granting them a chance at redemption. The outfit gives Rory superhuman physical abilities, while he is also skilled in magic. His family have been the stewards of this cloak for generations, and every time the Suit of Souls is destroyed, it reforms (often taking a new form). In fact, it is actually an ancient artifact that has been used by the Judean people going back to the time of Abraham, sometimes taking the form of a spear or dagger. The role of the Ragman has been to protect different communities, most of whom have historically been Jewish, acting similarly to the famous Golem of Prague.
When Rory reaches for the rune-stitched rag in the bookshop, "Valdemar, hunter soul" appears to reference Valdemar of the Flame, an obscure Bronze Age character who debuted in Superman #260 by Elliott S. Maggin and Curt Swan. The character was part of a hidden village of Vikings who had been living in secret off the coast of New England for a thousand years. He was a fearsome warrior who was granted incredible strength by a magic flame in his village. Valdemar rode a giant eagle named Skaggerak and wielded a magic flaming longsword. He was strong enough to engage Superman in direct combat.
It seems that Valdemar's spirit is now in the Suit of Souls and Rory is about to use the Viking's incredible power to defend himself. This sets Ragman up to be the newest member of the Justice League Dark.