Warning: this article contains spoilers for The Walking Dead #193!
The Walking Dead somehow managed to save its biggest plot twist for last. Today marks the release of The Walking Dead #193, an issue we only just learned is also the series finale. And as creator Robert Kirkman notes in his afterword, maintaining the element of surprise wasn’t easy. He and publisher Image Comics had to go to some fairly extreme lengths to throw readers off the trail.
Kirkman took advantage of the fact that comic books sold through distributor Diamond Comics are solicited three months ahead of time. He and artist Charlie Adlard went so far as to create fake solicitation copy and even cover art for issues #194, #195 and #196, teasing a nonexistent storyline involving a new character named Sheriff Kapoor (who does play a minor role in issue #193).
Source: IGN.com The Walking Dead: How Robert Kirkman Faked Out Fans