The shadow of looms large in the world of underground manga. It is a ghost, a legend, and a tiny, dark masterpiece waiting to be read.

Nico was not a single work but an emergent through-line across dozens of pieces—an everyman silhouette, sometimes childlike, sometimes age-weathered, always caught at the margins: leaning against a rain-streaked window, walking between neon signs, pausing on a rooftop at dawn. The scans revealed texture and time: fingerprints in the margins, adhesive residue, coffee rings. Simon realized these artifacts were as much part of Nico’s identity as the drawings themselves.

Behind every great scanlation project is a team of passionate individuals working tirelessly behind the scenes. At , we’re proud to have some of the most dedicated staff in the community—and today, we’re putting the spotlight on our incredible translator, Nico .