The complex network of Marvel Universe comic book characters

This isn't the first paper on analyzing comic book characters as a complex network, but given tonight's events (I've certainly been doing really well lately, huh? I really can't wait to move out of this city. I love Pasadena, but I really need to leave.), I'm especially happy to see something that amuses me.

You can download the paper here

The title, author, and abstract are as follows:


Title: How to become a superhero

Author: P. M. Gleiser

Abstract: We analyze a collaboration network based on the Marvel Universe comic books. First, we consider the system as a binary network, where two characters are connected if they appear in the same publication. The analysis of degree correlations reveals that, in contrast to most real social networks, the Marvel Universe presents a disassortative mixing on the degree. Then, we use a weight measure to study the system as a weighted network. This allows us to find and characterize well defined communities. Through the analysis of the community structure and the clustering as a function of the degree we show that the network presents a hierarchical structure. Finally, we comment on possible mechanisms responsible for the particular motifs observed.


The big win, however, comes from the paper's conclusions: On the other hand characters labeled as villains appear around the hubs and do not connect communities. We discussed possible mechanisms that lead to these effects. In particular the rules of the Comic Authority Code clearly limit the role of villains. Also, we believe that heroes need to team up in order to show that some effort is necessary to defeat their enemies, since there is a rule that states that in the end always good shall triumph over evil. Finally, we note that a gender classification reveals that all the central characters are males, and, as in the case of villains, the female characters do not play a role connecting communities. However, as was already noted, the strongest link in the MU is the relation between Spider Man and Mary Jane Watson Parker, a fact that shows that although the MU deals mainly with superheroes and villains the most popular plot is a love story.


Isn't that sweet?

P.S. I'm guess this is getting submitted (or has been submitted already) to Physical Review E.