Guilty? Perhaps. A Pleasure? Indeed.

So for my first blog post, I'm going on a bit of a rant. You see... I purchased the Marvel hardcover trade paperback Anita Blake: Guilty Pleasures (Volume I), but I was unaware that not only did the TP only collect issues 1-6, but that the series isn't yet completed. So now I have a bit of a dilemma. Do I purchase the individual issues 7-12 in soft cover comics (to go along with my hardcover edition of issues 1-6), or do I wait until Marvel publishes the second volume? Frankly, I'm a bit upset that there was no mention on Marvel's site, nor Amazon's, that I was getting hosed. Had I known, I would have waited until the second volume came out so I could read the entire story. Furthermore, if I decide to pick up issues 7-12, that's six issues at $2.99, which is over $18 (with sales tax). Umm... I purchased the TP for around $13, so individual issues don't make much financial sense. Personally, I'd rather see Marvel release such a maxi-series as a GN (thus, not wasting my time and money) or not release the TP until after the series has completed. Then, at least, I can get the whole story in one fell swoop.

Yes, people, I'm bugged. I'll probably have to wait until the middle of the summer to pick up Volume II, because now I pretty much have to have the hardcover to complete my set.

However... for those who haven't read it, Laurel K. Hamilton's Anita Blake: Guilty Pleasures is definitely a guilty pleasure. It's set in Hamilton's unique world of Anita Blake, where werewolves, vampires, and zombies all live (well... sort of) legally, side-by-side with humans. It takes a bit of reading to get used to, but it's a well-constructed "world." (Frankly, I'm not too keen on the main character Anita Blake because she seems to be too much of a floozy for the supernatural world, specifically werewolves and vampires. But I digress...) In Guilty Pleasures, Anita Blake must unravel the mystery surrounding a series of vampire slayings in her hometown of St. Louis, MO. in order to save a close friend (and herself). From what I've read, it's a pretty good story, and I'm looking forward to Volume II. (If the ending flops, I'll let you all know.)

I'd definitely recommend this series to fans of Hamilton, the vampire genre, those who like a good supernatural yarn, or fans of strong female characters. Anita Blake: Guilty Pleasures is well written, engaging, and suspenseful. Now... (for me, at least) how does it end?