Ladderman

Ladderman (also called Ladder Man) is a limited circulation, satirical comic book publication created by an anonymous student at the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Despite featuring only six editions (called episodes) and three short strips appearing in campus publications, the comic series has gained a near cult following amongst its small readership.

The plot of the comic series revolves around the on-going story of the eponymous Ladderman who is a parody of many popular superheros such as Superman, Spiderman, and the Green Lantern. In addition the character of Ladderman also parodies many famous Professional Wrestlers. The comic also focuses on providing biting satirical commentary on various social and cultural aspects of modern day life as well as taking shots at current events related to the University of Waterloo and some the university's administrative policies. The Ladderman character, while supposedly a superhero, is in fact more of an anti-hero who exhibits many undesirable qualities and personality traits but ironically is revered by the comic's society as an exemplary person.

History

Little is known about the creator(s) of Ladderman although there is a single credit to ";)" on each issue. It is unknown whether this ";)" is a pen name for a single writer or the name taken by a group of creators. The "By ;)", a common internet colloquialism, credit is ironic because the comic often lambastes internet culture, social networking services like Facebook and internet slang.

Ten copies of the first 5-page episode appeared in the University of Waterloo Mathematics Faculty building student lounge prior to the April 2007 final exam period. The comics became a hit amongst students frequenting the lounge and soon a second edition appeared, followed by a third edition towards the end of semester's exam period. By the third issue copies were being circulated around the Davis Center Mathematics and Science Library leading to the inference that the comics are the creation of a mathematics student. Throughout the Summer 2007 semester three new issues were released and three short four-panel strips were featured in the student publication MathNews.

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