Before Aliens 3, James Cameron’s Masterpiece Got a Sequel Story Centered on Adult Newt

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As a huge fan, I’ve been loving seeing the *Alien* universe keep growing, and the new *Alien: Earth* series on Hulu is just the latest example. It all started with Ridley Scott’s original film in 1979, and then James Cameron really blew things up with *Aliens* in 1986. After that, things were quiet for a bit, but the story didn’t stop! Surprisingly, it was Dark Horse Comics that kept things moving in 1988 with their six-issue *Aliens* series. It was the first new story we got since Cameron’s movie, and it came four years before *Alien 3* finally arrived in theaters. It was a really cool way to experience the *Alien* world back then!

Similar to *Alien 3*, the *Aliens* comic book published by Dark Horse continued the story directly after the *Aliens* movie. However, unlike the film directed by David Fincher, this comic followed the adventures of Corporal Dwayne Hicks and Rebecca “Newt” Jordan. The story reveals that Hicks is physically injured from his previous fight with the Xenomorphs, and Newt, now an adult, is struggling with emotional trauma and is in a psychiatric hospital. Together, Hicks, Newt, and a team of Colonial Marines travel to the Xenomorphs’ home planet, determined to wipe out the species. At the same time, back on Earth, a terrifying outbreak occurs, leading to a widespread alien infestation.

Dark Horse’s Comic Series is Aliens’ First True Successor

Dark Horse’s black and white *Aliens* comic series picks up about ten years after the original film. While it’s a time jump, it’s much shorter than the 57-year gap in the movie. The comic offered fans something the films hadn’t: a look at Newt as an adult, and an exploration of how she dealt with the terrifying experiences she had on LV-426.

I’m really disturbed by what’s happening to Newt in the series. They’ve got her heavily medicated at the hospital, but even that isn’t stopping her terrible nightmares – it’s clear her childhood trauma is still deeply affecting her. Then, the doctors basically tell her they’re going to perform a lobotomy! Thankfully, Hicks finds out and busts her out of there. He’s got his own demons to deal with, clearly suffering from PTSD, and he’s completely focused on wiping out the Xenomorphs – it’s all-out war for him.

The series *Aliens*, created by Verheiden and Nelson, showed fans what was believed to be the Xenomorphs’ home planet for the first time. However, the show doesn’t offer much detail about this dark and unsettling world. Before Hicks’ team destroys it with a nuclear bomb and returns home, the planet remains mostly a mystery. Looking back, it’s possible this wasn’t the Xenomorphs’ original home, but rather a world they conquered and took over long ago.

The idea that the Xenomorphs weren’t originally from the planet in the *Aliens* comics is similar to what was shown in the 2012 film *Alien: Prometheus*. In that movie, a race called the Engineers first arrived on the planet and unintentionally created the Xenomorphs. The Xenomorphs could have then taken over. This suggests the planet in the comics might have a similar backstory – the Xenomorphs could be an invasive species that arrived later, rather than being native to the world. However, the series has never confirmed the planet’s history.

The *Aliens* movie actually showed the “space jockeys” for the first time. These creatures were hinted at in the original *Alien* film, but were never fully seen. This comic book focuses on a single member of this telepathic species, and Mark Nelson’s design feels like a natural extension of what might be hidden beneath their mask. However, *Prometheus* later showed the species as much larger humanoids – and revealed they were also known as the Engineers, the creators of both the Xenomorphs and humanity itself.

How Alien 3 Retroactively Impacted the Dark Horse Comics Series

Dark Horse’s first *Aliens* mini-series led to a four-issue color series in 1989. Mark Verheiden wrote this new installment, with artwork by Denis Beauvais, continuing the story from the original. As Earth is overrun by Xenomorphs, Hicks and Newt escape into deep space. There, they encounter a renegade military commander who is trying to control the aliens and use them to reclaim Earth. However, his plan inevitably fails. Hicks and Newt then return to a space station near Earth and are reunited with…

In 1990, Ripley’s return sparked the conclusion of Verheiden’s Alien trilogy with the four-part comic series, *Aliens: Earth War*, illustrated by Sam Kieth. In this story, Ripley locates the only Xenomorph Mother Queen. She captures it and brings it to Earth, intending to wipe out the alien threat by drawing all the Xenomorphs to one spot and then destroying them with a nuclear blast. However, she later discovers this isn’t as effective as she hoped. Over the following decades, Dark Horse Comics published numerous separate *Aliens* mini-series and one-off comics. This continued until 2020, when Disney acquired 20th Century Fox and transferred the license to its Marvel division.

When Fox released *Alien 3* in 1992, it created a problem for Dark Horse Comics, which had been publishing its own *Aliens* series based on a different storyline. *Alien 3* continued the story after James Cameron’s *Aliens*, but it ignored the path Dark Horse’s comics, written by Verheiden, had taken. Instead of canceling the original comics, Dark Horse decided to revise them. They changed the names of key characters – Hicks and Newt became Wilks and Billie – and removed any references to Cameron’s film. This allowed Dark Horse to present Verheiden’s stories as still fitting within the *Aliens* universe. They also renamed the series: the first mini-series became *Aliens: Outbreak*, the second was renamed *Aliens: Nightmare Asylum*, and *Aliens: Earth War* was reissued as *Aliens: Female War*.

Did David Fincher’s Alien 3 Derail the Franchise?

The comic books picked up where the first two *Alien* films left off, following the adventures of Hicks and Newt. Meanwhile, *Alien 3* finally introduced the character many fans had been waiting for: Ripley. The comics built upon familiar elements from the original movies, such as the Weyland-Yutani Corporation, the Colonial Marines, and the terrifying nature of the Xenomorphs. *Alien 3*, however, largely abandoned these established storylines. Verheiden’s comics maintained the exciting, action-packed feel that Cameron created.

Unlike the action-packed previous films, *Alien 3* aimed for a darker, more atmospheric tone. This resulted in a divided reaction from critics and audiences. Many fans were disappointed by the quick, unseen deaths of beloved characters Hicks and Newt, feeling it undermined the story built in *Aliens*. As a result, fans often preferred the comic book sequel by Verheiden, which felt like a more fitting continuation of the franchise. These early comics established a successful path for the *Alien* universe, leading to many more comic book series.

Many fans feel *Alien 3* significantly damaged the *Alien* franchise, and it’s been struggling ever since. While bringing back Ripley initially pleased audiences, the film killed her off. Because Sigourney Weaver’s character was so central to the series, she was resurrected in *Alien: Resurrection* as a clone. However, this new Ripley was different – altered with Xenomorph DNA – and wasn’t the character fans knew or wanted.

The movie didn’t get much better reviews than *Alien 3*, and fans didn’t like the new version of Ripley. The *Alien vs. Predator* films that followed were even less popular. While three prequels later helped restore some of the franchise’s reputation, they never quite lived up to the success of the original two movies.

I’ve been really enjoying Noah Hawley’s *Alien: Earth* series – it’s a fantastic update to the whole *Alien* universe! It reminds me a lot of the original *Aliens* comic book. One thing people are loving about the show is how it introduces new types of aliens, which is cool. But it’s funny, because back in 1988, the *Aliens* comic already did something similar – it had these really scary, dragon-like creatures sharing a planet with the Xenomorphs!

The comic series *Alien: Earth* introduces the possibility of a full-scale alien invasion, a concept Verheiden originally explored in his earlier work. With eight issues, *Alien: Earth* builds upon that idea more thoroughly than his previous six-issue story. While Dark Horse’s *Aliens* comics aren’t as famous as the movies, they’re still excellent and stay true to the spirit of the *Aliens* universe. It’s possible the franchise could have become even more popular if the early films had followed a similar path.

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2025-10-14 03:22