SPOILERS
Well, in a previous post I put up what I believed to be the cover for The Walking Dead #57, but it seems like that cover, with a backdrop of a deserted Washington DC, will be used for a later issue, because this is the cover for #57, according to the Robert Kirkman board at Image / Kirkmania (http://imagecomics.com/messageboard/viewtopic.php?t=42885)
this is NOT the cover for #57
because this IS the cover for #57
This new character (with the gun) is really being pushed to the front in all the covers from issue #53. Here he gets priority over Rick, and it looks as if Carl is looking to him for protection. Interesting times ahead.