A sneak peak of World of Warcraft #8 (the comic book) is available from Blizzard. And it's a doozy. Whether you're a comic book fan, or just a lore fan, it definitely looks like it's going to be worth the $2.99.

Remember that pesky Missing Diplomat quest? Varian Wrynn, King of Stormwind, was on a mission to visit Jaina Proudmoore when he went mysteriously missing. Turns out, he got kidnapped. Then, he got free. Then, he was getting his Arena on, kicking ass, taking names, and getting entangled with unsavory sorts. (Presumably, Season 3.) He'd had a case of amnesia, but got better. And now he's realizing he's the King, baby.

WoW #8 opens with an obvious imposter prancing his merry way along the gates of Stormwind and being kind of a jerk to Anduinn. But, off at the dock, a dwarf sees three mysterious "thugs" step off the boat. Through some beautiful art, the book foreshadows exactly how bad-ass Varian has become. This is Elric or Conan quality bad-ass. This should definitely have some impact on Stormwind's royalty when WotLK arrives. It'd be nice continuity to have Varian clean up the mess in the comic, and then see a few less dragons standing around Bolvar. Here's hoping.