Layla Miller's Return

Unbeknownst to anyone not following X-Factor religiously, Layla Miller has finally made her return from the future (she has been stuck there since the end of Messiah War two years ago). Why would people who don't follow X-Factor care? Well in my opinion, Layla is Marvel's coolest creation in the last twenty years. She's funny, creepy, enigmatic, and even has a catch phrase (I know stuff :-D). Her mutant power also gives her the potential to shape the entire outline of Marvel's future. So why was her monumental return not so earth-shattering?

Something like Layla's return is a big deal to me. Usually, I find out through previews from comic book websites what will be happening in certain books and that will determine whether I buy it or not. None of X-Factor's solicits mentioned her or even the potential that she might be returning. The only reason I found out was because I told one of my friends how much I miss that character and wanted her to come back: to which he replied, "Oh she came back a few issues ago." I didn't believe him at first, so I did some research on IGN and Comicvine. He was right!

Peter David, the writer for X-Factor, is responsible for the secrecy. He asked Marvel not to mention anything and, in his opening recap pages, begs readers to do the same. As a matter of fact, I waited until IGN started referring to Layla before I decided to write about her return. David says the reasoning behind this was to "triple the amount of readers," but wouldn't a press release about her return generate more excitement about X-Factor? I know I would have been in line to buy X-Factor #40 and probably a variant cover if I knew Layla was coming back. David probably wanted to reward his readers and then generate excitement through that symbiotic relationship. He writes for his readers and they love him for that. It must have been incredibly rewarding to be one of the first few to find this huge plot development thanks to loyalty to X-Factor.

I can't be too upset about the secrecy though. It was all for a noble cause. If Marvel decided to go a different direction, however, an event book would have been a valid option. Layla Miller is the best new thing Marvel has to offer right now. She could have been the center of an epic storyline utilizing her ability to just know things. Maybe she knows something about the Cabal, the new Sorcerer Supreme, the future of Mutantkind, or....I don't know. I'm not a writer: just a fan. The point is that Marvel could have capitalized more on her return.

Do I sound like a sell-out for suggesting Marvel could have taken the more profitable road, rather than rewarding loyal X-Factor fans? That sucks. I'm all for rewarding fans. Maybe I'm just mad that I wasn't following X-Factor before and got left in the dust for it. Shame on me. Oh well. At least Layla is back. I'll be buying X-Factor monthly now, Peter David. Your strategy worked on me and I hope it works on more people. Maybe you know stuff too.