If super-villains read as many comic books at Mark Millar they would be renewing their passports instead of stewing inside Arkham Asylum or Ryker's Island.

"Here is something I've wondered ever since I was a kid: Why do super-villains always commit crimes n Metropolis, Gotham and New York City when Batman, Superman and Spider-Man are there?" asked Millar, the Scottish writer of "Kick Ass" and "Wanted." He added: "The entire cast of the Avengers live in New York so if I were a super-villain I'd go somewhere I'm less likely to bump into Captain America.