Part of it is . The fact that you can’t easily find it makes finding it feel like a victory. There are Reddit threads with dead MEGA links, cryptic pastebins, and users whispering about a “complete simonscans Nico archive” on a private Soulseek channel.
Simon chose the latter—then disappeared, leaving behind a scattered digital graveyard. Some argue that’s irresponsible. Others say it adds to the mystique. Either way, “simonscans nico” has become shorthand for a specific kind of webcomic tragedy: the beautiful thing you almost saved. Short answer: maybe.
Nico is still walking that flooded highway, broken compass in hand. And somewhere, on an old hard drive or an unindexed server, simonscans’ files wait in digital sleep. simonscans nico
Simon, the group’s enigmatic founder, was known for high-quality raws, meticulous cleaning, and translations that prioritized mood over literal accuracy. In 2011, they released a 40-page scanlation of Nico’s debut chapter. It spread slowly across forums like Batoto, /a/, and a now-defunct LiveJournal community called ScarletScans .
Part of it is . In the few pages still floating around (low-resolution PNGs, watermarked with simonscans’ faded logo), Nico is heartbreaking. They carry a broken compass. They talk to a ghost that may not exist. In one memorable panel, they sit by a flooded highway and simply say: “I don’t remember why I’m walking. But stopping feels worse.” Part of it is
The catch? The original work was never officially translated. It ran briefly on a personal Geocities-style archive, then vanished when the creator deleted their online presence around 2012. Simonscans (sometimes stylized as simon_scans or simonscanz ) was a small, passionate fanscanlation group active in the early 2010s. They specialized in “orphaned” manga and webcomics—series abandoned by publishers or creators. Their motto? “Preserve before it perishes.”
Depending on which thread you follow, Nico is a melancholic, sword-wielding wanderer from a lesser-known late-2000s webcomic or doujinshi series—possibly French or Japanese in origin. The art style is unmistakable: scratchy ink lines, heavy contrast, and a world soaked in perpetual rain and rust. Nico rarely speaks. When they do, the dialogue is sparse, almost poetic. Think Blame! meets Guts from Berserk , but with a quieter, more resigned sadness. Simon chose the latter—then disappeared, leaving behind a
That kind of raw, minimalist angst sticks with you. Of course, simonscans operated in a legal fog. Scanning and translating without permission is copyright infringement, plain and simple. But when the original creator has vanished, and the work is unavailable in any language, fans face a dilemma: let it die, or become an archivist.