Cover analysis of The Walking Dead comic issue 185: On Guard

The cover of issue 185 of The Walking Dead comic book series features Carl Grimes as he stands in front of a house at The Hilltop and is “On Guard”.

The Walking Dead comics have been interesting lately, with the people from The Commonwealth interacting with the survivors who readers have grown to love over the years in Alexandria, The Hilltop, The Kingdom, The Sanctuary, and more.

While issue 185 of the series isn’t set to be released until November 7, 2018, it seems as though there might be some big conflict on the horizon when looking at the artwork on the cover of the issue titled “On Guard”.

Take a look at the cover art from the November 2018 issue of The Walking Dead as shared on the official website of Image Comics:

Carl is standing at what appears to be the gates of The Hilltop, at full attention while watching for anything that could be happening. Hopefully, that is the sun rising behind him and not some kind of explosion, which would be surprising considering the weapons available right now.

However, there isn’t much that can be taken away from this cover. Unlike others which recently showed a major development in the story or a new character, this one sets the stage for creating more conflict at a time of peace, which could be interesting.

Meanwhile, the Bill Sienkiewicz variant cover for the issue features Jesus in the unique style used to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the comic series.

What do you think of the artwork for the cover of The Walking Dead issue 185? Do you think Carl is watching out for The Commonwealth, walkers, or something else? And does “On Guard” just mean something could happen while he’s watching? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.