Going on his 58th issue as a part of The Walking Dead, Negan has become a major component of the comics' story. Not only has he become a fan-favorite character among readers (not to mention the insane amount of buzz around Jeffrey Dean Morgan's portrayal on television) but Negan has the ability to shake up a story line like no other character.

By the look and sound of things, Negan isn't going anywhere any time soon. He is certainly in danger heading into the massive Whisperer War arc ahead of us which prompts The Walking Dead artist Charlie Adlard to say he won't "confirm or deny" whether or not Negan survives. In fact, Negan is probably priority number one for the Whisperers following the events of issue #156.

“Negan is definitely back," Adlard says of Negan's recent jailbreak in the comics. "I’m pretty sure for the long haul.”

Despite being the artist behind each page of The Walking Dead comic these days, writer Robert Kirkman doesn't even offer up spoilers too far into the future. “I don’t really know what his final game plan is, which is exciting,” Adlard said. “You don’t know where [Negan]’s going to go, which is probably quite unique in the character because you’ve pretty much got a grip on most of the characters ― good or bad. Whereas for Negan, you still think he could go either way, and I like that idea. Personally, I don’t think he’s as villainous as everyone assumes he is.”

When I had the chance to speak with Jeffrey Dean Morgan at Comic Con, he in fact said he is ready for the long haul with the character on television and is a huge fan of what's going on in the comics. "I saw that and I called Kirkman and go, 'Oh, motherf---er, let's do this!'" he says of issue #156's big twist but as for whether or not Negan is going to turn into a good guy like many suspect, Morgan says, "That I'm not ready for. I don't think he'll go good but the Alpha thing was pretty sweet. It was f---ing great."

UP NEXT: Five Biggest The Walking Dead Season 7 Spoilers

The Walking Dead's issue #158 hits shelves next month with #157 available now. The TV series will return for its seventh season October 23 at 9 PM ET on AMC. For complete coverage, insider info, and more all season long, follow @BrandonDavisBD on Twitter and check out The Walking Dead on ComicBook.com on Facebook.

(via Huffington Post)