Youngwoo Shin is a total loser. He is in debt to his parents, working freelance construction jobs to pay the bills, and has no hobbies or 
interests beyond video games. His favorite is the VR MMORPG Satisfy, which is the biggest fantasy game of its kind. It is there that Yongwoo becomes Grid the Warrior… and is just as much a loser as in the real world.
Three years of grinding and Grid has only managed to attain the modest rank of Level 73. Most other players who have been playing that long have levels over 200 and have found rare artifacts and unlocked special legendary classes. And Youngwoo loses even that after he stumbles across a magical tome containing the knowledge of a legendary blacksmith.
The bad news is that Grid has been knocked down to negative class levels and Youngwoo must start from square one. The good news is that his new Legendary Craftsman class has some special abilities that make up for his lack of combat power. These include the ability to wield any weapon and armor in the game and the ability to craft epic level items.
True, he takes a penalty for wielding unsuitable gear, but what does that matter when he still has an effective level 100 points higher than his single-digit attack score? Or when he can start selling the gear he crafts to make real-world money? Thus begins the legend of a new Legendary Blacksmith, who will forever change the world of Satisfy.
Overgeared started out as a Korean light novel series. It was later adapted into a graphic novel and has now been translated into English. In terms of story, it is like other Isekai science fiction where the hero enters a virtual fantasy world. What reportedly distinguishes it from similar series, however, is how Youngwoo grows as a person as the series continues and the complexity of its mythology.
There are signs of this in the first volume of Overgeared. Much of this book is devoted to explaining the world of Satisfy and the mechanics of how the game works. This is far from expository, however, and the information is naturally conveyed as Youngwoo learns about his new class and compares it to his old one.
We also learn through the eyes of other adventurers, who are stunned to see epic level arrows capable of slaying high-level enemies with a single shot showing up in the marketplace. There is also an early scene showing the game designers discussing the Legendary Blacksmith tome and what may happen when such power falls into the hands of a relative nobody.
The artwork of Team Argo is suitably animated and perfectly suit the story. The shading and inking effects are particularly noteworthy, giving an unusual sense of depth to the finished artwork. There are also subtle shifts in the color palettes, with cooler colors being used to denote the dull reality of Youngwoo’s life compared to the vibrant hues that dominate the world of Satisfy.
This volume is rated T for readers 13 and up. I consider that to be a fair rating. There is no nudity or sexual content, largely because Youngwoo seems uninterested in sex. Indeed, apart from one other warrior in a low-cut corset, there’s hardly any of the usual sexualized fantasy armor one expects to see in an Isekai comic. The violence level is also appropriate to the age range, with no excessive bloodshed.
Overgeared, Vol. 1
By Monohumbug
Art by Team Argo
Ize Press, 2023
ISBN: 9798400900518
Company Age Rating:Â 13+
Related media:Â Book to Comic
NFNT Age Recommendation: Adult (18+), Older Teen (16-18), Teen (13-16)
Creator Representation:Â South Korean,
Character Representation:Â South Korean,
