While Newt's time in the Alien franchise was short-lived thanks to Aliens film sequel, Alien 3, she had a longer life in Dark Horse Comics. Ellen Ripley may have remained the face of the franchise, but Newt would have been her perfect successor. In the comic sequel trilogy, beginning with Aliens: Outbreak, the girl becomes a young woman who continues her hero's legacy.
In 1988, Dark Horse Comics began a new saga for Aliens' Hicks and Newt, who survived at the end of Aliens. The two are forced to face more human and xenomorph threats as Earth falls to alien infestation. Aliens: Nightmare Asylum, continues the story of Newt and Hick's fight against the xenomorphs, ending with the return of Ripley. This story concludes in Aliens: Female War (also known as Aliens: Earth War). Thanks to Alien 3 killing off Hicks and Newt in 1992, Newt was renamed Billie in the comics following her off-screen death and Outbreak's reprints.
Despite the name shift, there is no doubt Newt's journey was intended to be a mirror of Ripley's in the comics. After growing up and being saved by Hicks for a second time in Aliens: Outbreak by Mark Verheiden and Willie Schubert, Newt finds herself face to face with Ripley - albeit a synthetic version of her. The xenomorphs have been haunting her since her youth. However, in Aliens: Female War, she gets the chance to pay the favor forward. A young girl on Earth - Amy - has been taken by xenomorphs and Newt is hellbent on saving her - because she recognizes herself in her. With Ripley's aid, Newt succeeds. While on the surface this is simply a great show of humanity, it also suggests Newt would've been the perfect choice to step into Ripley's shoes for the franchise.
In the films, Newt's story ends as simply a girl who faced xenomorphs, was rescued, then died as a result of the crash landing in Alien 3. In the Alien comics, however, Newt is able to grow into a young adult, between the ages of 19 and 25, based on the varying ages given to her in different Aliens media as well as a thirteen-year gap between events in the comics. Newt isn't a soldier by any means, but she IS a survivor who hangs out with the right people. The Aliens comics show her toughen up a bit and even though she's severely unprepared, Newt's ready to face death in the hopes of saving a girl in a situation similar to hers. With more preparation and weaponry, it wouldn't be hard to believe that she would become a true fighter against the xenomorph threat. Her experiences and ability to survive tough situations put her at an advantage and with more experience, she has the heart to be a fierce protector like Ripley was towards her.
Even though Newt still needs Ripley to help her save Amy, the rescue is successful. This kind of Alien story could have served as a passing of the torch between these women. Using a time jump like the comics, the films could have taken this route, allowing a new heroine to take the narrative in a different direction. This comic shows Newt's humanity and desire to be a hero for one child, even against impossible odds, when she could just as easily leave her to die. Newt would have been Ripley's perfect successor in the Alien franchise had Alien 3 taken a route more similar to the one chosen by Dark Horse Comics.