Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and his living friends in "The Walking Dead" might be in for bigger trouble after Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), as the comic book's next foray into the antagonist territory is the rich Commonwealth elitists.

Issue #176 of "The Walking Dead" graphic novel is apparently setting up the stage for the next big conflict in the franchise universe. The said Commonwealth elitists are the biggest problem that the remaining protagonists of the franchise are currently facing, and while the TV adaptation of the comic books is behind by at least one arc, it may soon follow the graphic novel's interesting new venture.

This makes the plot a lot more interesting for the graphic novel, as the antagonists coming from something as seemingly good-natured as the Commonwealth paves way for a conflict unlike any the franchise has seen before. This time around, the usual violent skirmishes and stalemates between Rick and another ruthless faction might be set aside for something a lot more political and subdued.

The latest two issues of "The Walking Dead" graphic novel makes it clear that the rich or formerly rich people of the Commonwealth are on a power struggle to bring back their status and leverage before the zombie apocalypse put everyone on equal ground. This was demonstrated when Michonne entered the Commonwealth where she received much favor after proclaiming that her former job was a private-practice lawyer while two others that had blue collar jobs were dismissed.

As such, the new antagonist might be Pamela Milton, Governor of Commonwealth, and actually talked to Michonne about trying to rebuild society back to the way it was before the apocalypse. Michonne being a lawyer supposedly makes her a good leader in the eyes of the Commonwealth elite.

So far though, nothing bad or evil has been done by the Commonwealth yet, meaning the source of the conflict might very well be a grey area. It is also not certain yet whether the TV series will adopt the current arc of the graphic novel.