Fans of "The Walking Dead" have been waiting for what feels like forever to see a major showdown between the united communities of Alexandria, the Hilltop, and the Kingdom and the nefarious Negan and the Saviors. Now, the new key art for the show's upcoming eighth season has made it explicitly clear that that confrontation is imminent.

While previous imagery released from season eight has been mostly ambiguous and more than a bit benign, this promo photo leaves no doubt: Rick, Daryl, Michonne, Carol, and the rest of our core survivors are ready for battle. Or, as the poster puts it (in all caps, in case the intensity of the situation wasn't clear enough), ALL OUT WAR.

Everyone in the image is wielding a weapon and staring intently into the distance; even Shiva, King Ezekiel's tiger, is looking especially fierce and menacing. We don't spy an object in Jesus's hand, though perhaps he'll simply channel the same inner power he uses to make his hair look so glossy. In these dark, salon-free zombie apocalypse times, such a skill shouldn't be wasted.

The season eight premiere of "The Walking Dead" -- which is also the show's 100th episode -- airs on October 22 on AMC.

[via: Entertainment Weekly]