Editor’s Note: The following entries are the winners and finalists from our Wolverine: Look Sharp contest, with prizes provided by DCBService.com. We received over 160 entries in this contest, and proved to be one of our biggest ones yet! Our guest reviewers for this contest are the creators of the new Marvel series Wolverine: Weapon X, writer Jason Aaron and artist Ron Garney. – Chris

GRAND PRIZE WINNER!


Lee Chen Fang
Total Score: 65

Dean: 10. I’m usually not that into retreading the familiar Wolverine-as-soldier motifs, but this is just too great a design. The chest armor, the light-up elements, and the partial mask are all brilliant and could be implemented in the actual comics immediately.

Rachel: 8. This Wolverine should be a video game character design. He’s got it all: flourescent highlights, too many straps, impractical and overcomplicated but visually stylish armor. It’s a sharp design, though.

Chris Arrant: 6. A very Metal Gear Wolverine. Like an earlier entry, this more looks like a side costume for something Logan would have done on Team X. I think the uses of the “X” is a bit overdone, but there’s a solid idea in here — just not finished. Sometimes less is more.

Rachel: Hah–exactly. Sneaking Suit.

Vito: 10. One of two absolute winners to me. I want to read this character’s adventures. There is nothing here that doesn’t say Wolverine to me. He even has a SHIELD logo on his belt! There’s an obvious Japanese influence, maybe in the vein of video games like Final Fantasy, but this just looks like Wolverine to me without being 100% traditional. I love it!

Jon: 8. This is utterly nuts, in a good way. I almost feel like its fatal flaw is that there isn’t quite enough stuff on him. At this stage, he’s got so much gear and so many competing lines, I’d recommend also giving him some kind of giant backpack, a few holsters, a bedroll, some pots and pans, and add enough lights that he looks like a major city from orbit. This really appeals to me – and I think it’s worth saying that, even with as much as is going on in the costume, it’s still very clean and the shapes complement rather than confuse.

Joel: 7. Paratrooper Wolverine? It’s hard for me to look past the gratuitous straps, which are a particular pet peeve, but I have to admit, this looks good. A lot of interesting details that come together harmoniously. It doesn’t make a lick of sense, but it’s sharp.

Jason: 9. Really busy for my tastes, but the cool little touches win me over, like the glowing stripes on the gloves and the X chest armor.

Ron: 7. good for a video game warrior design

FIRST PRIZE WINNER!

Gabriel Pinto
Total Score: 62.5

Dean: 8. This is very nice. Clean, utilitarian, superheroey, and definitely Wolverine. Lot of good, simple choices here, Gabriel. Nice work.

Chris: 8. Although I’d recommend altering the colors a bit, the design itself is one I really enjoy.

Rachel: 7.5. The seam at the jawline of the cowl really bugs me, I think the transition between the shirt and the cowl is too abrupt, and I agree with Chris about the colors, but otherwise, I like this one. It’s clean, fun, distinctive, not too fusty, and a good fit for the character.

Vito: 9. One of my favorites. I’m with Chris and Rachel that colors don’t really jive, but it looks great. Of all the designs presented, this seems to have elements that everyone included in their submissions, elements of all the Wolverine costumes, and still it really stands on it’s own as a new design. That’s gotta be tough to do.

Jon: 8. It’s one of the strongest. More red, less green, in the palette and I’d rate it even higher…

Joel: 8. I keep wanting to say that this is a fun design, because of the drawing style, but this would translate well into anyone’s style and still be a great Wolverine costume. The only thing that a, say, Brain Hitch would need more information on, I think, would be the boots, which are pretty radically minimalized.

Jason: 7. Not real daring. Again just seems more like a tweak. But very nice tweaks.

Ron: 7. but more of a batman theme there to me

SECOND PRIZE WINNER!

Ricardo Venâncio
Total Score: 62

Dean: 7.5. Very cool samurai Wolvie.

Joel: 9.5 Now this, I dig. This design builds on a lot of what we have seen from Wolverine before, but creates something new with it. You’ve got the brown costume, the Logan-as-Samurai look, the big ol’ X, and a general air of scruffy brawler. The Pacific Northwest motif on the back is a new addition, as far as I know, and a welcome one. The helmet looks like an actual piece of headgear that could physically exist. The open-legged pants with the tabi-feet create a distinct silhouette. And bonus points for both the cigar and the unfashionable hair. I have two quibbles, however. Where and how do the two ends of the belt/sash join? And this may be something that just existed in my reading of the character when I was 13, but didn’t the metal covers on the back of Wulvie’s gloves somehow aid in the popping of the claws through his flesh? I was under the impression that when wearing the gloves was the only time unsheathing didn’t hurt him. If that’s the case, then I’d like to see them brought back. Because we know Logan’s tough, but that doesn’t make him a masochist.

Rachel: It’s not hard to make a seamless looking sash, although I’d probably give it a fold or two to hint at tucked-in ends, since lycra or snap hooks seem out of place in this particular costume.

Chris Arrant: 6. All the elements are here, just as Joel said: The Brown & Tan, the Madipoor era wolverine, and the whole brawling nature that Logan brings to comics. But I think the X on the front is detrimental to this particular design, and the mask needs some work. Ricardo’s really onto something — I wish I could get him to play with it a bit more.

Rachel: 9. I love this a lot–I think it speaks to the eclecticism of Wolverine’s origins and influences in a way that few designs do.

Jon: 7. A lot of well-thought out designs here. I’m with Chris, I think the mask is almost there, just needs a little something to make it distinctly Wolverine’s. The only thing I don’t like is the open hand on the back of the gloves, it’s the one shape that doesn’t seem to fit anywhere else on the costume.

Vito: 9. Doggone it! I was hoping there was a wolverine design on the back! This is a great piece, but I just don’t dig a helmet over a mask. I think no mask, and it’s good to go. I’m not sure about the loose pants, but as an overall piece, it holds it all together. Absolutely wonderful!

Jason: 8. I really dig the front. Just think the back needs a stronger design.

Ron: 6. could be good with some adjustment but a bit like an indian meets a genie. work on the pants and the mask.

RUNNERS UP!

David Kennedy
Total Score: 59

Dean: 7. I love Feral Freeze Wolverine! Must…collect…him… Nice jeans, btw, totally-disconnected-from-humanity-guy.

Jon: 7 Finally, a Wolverine costume that looks like a wolverine! I like this as an alternate costume, something he might only wear for a single story arc for a very specific purpose, but I like it. There’s just enough of the familiar shape to the cowl that it evokes classic Wolverine, despite the fact that the colors and lines have otherwise been changed.

Joel: 7. I guess it’s not surprising that so few people have incorporated actual Wolverines into Logan’s look—for such vicious animals, they look like cuddly mountain-otters. David gets a lot of points from me for using the critter, and making it look menacing. This looks great for Logan’s wild-man-of-the-Yukon years. Although I had to deduct points because I don’t know what’s happening on the chest, or on the feet, and, well, yeah, the blue jeans.

Chris: 6. When I see this I think of the American Indian storyarc that Wolverine did in Marvel Comics Presents. I’m amazed that this works as well as it does — this could be a pin-up for the underrated Marvel Visions projects from years ago. I want to see the story behind this.

Vito: 8. I dig it. It’s very true to the character. I’d love to see a better pose to get a real feel for the piece, but it’s pretty good where I’m standing. I think that when Wolverine isn’t with one of the teams, this is what he SHOULD be wearing.

Rachel 7: I don’t get the waist–why is it in two strips? Would this be clearer if we could see it from the front? Also, the jeans-complete-with-belt throw off the feel of the piece a bit.

Jason: 9. I’m really digging this. That looks like a guy called “Wolverine.”

Ron: 8. I like this–but more if wolverine were doing a tribal, rite of passage story –but its cool as hell though.

Note: More Runners Up after the jump! – Dean


Daniel Irizarri Oquendo
Total Score: 57.5

Dean: 6.5. Pretty straight-forward Wolvie here. I buy this as a Wolverine suit, but I’m not really floored by the small updates. Cool drawing, though!

Jon: 8.5 I’m sure we’ve seen this cut on Wolverine before, but the lines and particularly the palette are terrific. I like the reds involved in the brown part of his costume, and how the yellow is muted. The swath on the front of his torso opening up from the throat is a nice touch, and I dig on the combat boots over the stylized costume. I think this unifies a lot of motifs inherent in Wolverine’s look, it’s animalistic while still looking tailored. Really nice job, I’d love to see this look graduate to the comic in some fashion.

Chris: 8. Daniel did a really good job here, but the devil’s in the details — a few elements look out of place, and could have benefited from some extra revisions by the artist. The boots and gloves in particular don’t fit with the great lines shown in the body of the costume. Good job though.

Rachel: 7.5. Not breathtaking, but damn solid. I’ve always been fond of the yellow and brown color scheme for Wolverine’s costume–I think if he’s going to be in spandex, it’s a somewhat less jarring contrast to the character than the day-glo blue and yellow.Vito: 7. It comes dangerously close to Alex Ross’ design from a few years back (http://wolverine.x-knights.com/fullsize/wolverine190.jpg), but it seems to incorporate Ross and Cassaday. Not a bad idea to take your cues from two of the best. As Dean put it, it’s straight-forward, which is fine for Wolverine. I think knee-pads and/or elbow pads would have really stepped it up a little. Accouterments aren’t necessarily a bad thing.

Joel: 6. I wish we had been presented with a more straight-forward pose. The foreshortening makes a little difficult to judge how some of the proportions relate to one another. The tapering of the yellow towards the neck looks fine from this angle, but I’m not sure it would from others.

Jason: 7. This seems more like a tweaking than a real reimagining of Wolverine. Nicely done though.

Ron: 7. Nice but not much different there.

Adam Rosenlund
Total Score: 56

Dean: 9. Adam’s got a pretty solid upgrade here for Wolvie. The stripe shapes on the torso are clean and character-specific. The shoulder sleeves take the place of Wolverine’s metal shoulder pads. The short gloves are more practical than the classic “superhero gloves” everybody in tights always wears. The streamlining on the mask is subtle but effective. And of course, Adam’s team-specific variants are a great bonus.

Joel: 7. I agree that this is a solid variation on the classic Wolverine costume(s). The torso may be a bit busier than I’d prefer, and I think there’s a lot more that could be done with the belt buckle and the boots. But it succeeds as an upgrade of what we’ve seen before. My problem, and this is just one of those fanboy divisions, I guess, is that Wolverine, of all superheroes, never seemed to belong in spandex. Especially blue and yellow spandex. So, I’m looking for a design that is more a redefinition of Logan’s visual identity.

Chris: 7. Like Joel, I think the torso stripes make it busy that it probably should be — but it does remind me of the stripes on Wolverine’s original costume back in his Incredible Hulk debut. i like the more sleek look of this costume, and the zip-down front as well. The boots, however, seem a bit off to me.

Jon: 7. I agree with the folks here, there’s a lot of strength in the upper body design, and I like the details on the gloves, but the belt probably should have been incorporated into the costume as an element rather than an accessory. Also, now I can’t stop looking at the boots … for my part, it’s the delineated impressions of toes which throws it off for me. Even with the toe-claws (I’m assuming those are for climbing, not because Wolverine is feeling that he needs more claws to fight with), it sort of makes Wolverine look like he’s wearing slippers. A very good design besides that, though.

Rachel 7: I’m with Jon on the belt–it’s an awkward break in an otherwise streamlined design. The torso stripes work for me: they evoke the original design, but they’re cleaner and more stylized. I have mixed feelings on the boots, though: it’s not the toes so much as how futuristic and astronaut-y they seem; like the belt, they stick out as something of a stylistic shift from the body of the costume. What I’m surprised no one has commented more on is the mask, which, with some minor updates, seems like a very practical take on the original design.

Vito: 7. I don’t have much to say that everyone else hasn’t already said. The mask doesn’t do too much for me, actually. It looks practical and wearable, but to me it just doesn’t capture my attention. Not too crazy about the claws popping out of the boots but did anyone notice the “W” design on the chest? That’s pretty cool, no?

Jason: 6.

Ron: 6. I like it–think the boots are a bit much, but overall its pretty close to the original–handsome.

Amancay Nahuelpan
Total Score: 56

Dean: 6. Simple chest armor and military regs seem like a good call for ol’ Logan, and I like the color scheme and lines here, but it’s not quite iconic enough for me.

Chris: 7. Taking Logan into a more militaristic bent, I like where Amancay is going with this but I think it’s only halfway into territory where it’d really work.

Vito: 7. This is getting somewhere. While the colors are a little odd, it certainly looks like Wolverine to me.

Jon: 6. Functional. It makes sense even for someone who has a healing factor to wear body armor, and it makes sense to leave the arms free so he gets better movement, plus the boots and pants call back to his military background. Unfortunately, not a lot of signature design going on, it’s very straightforward but it’s another one of those costumes which could be worn by any X-Man in the right scenario.

Rachel: 7. Not bad–straight forward and functional. Not a lot of style, though, and I’d imagine Logan’d probably go all the way casual rather than pairing those pants with a spandex-y uniform top.

Joel: 9. This is pretty close to exactly what I would imagine Logan to wear when suiting up for a mission. The practical combat-gear suits him well as a character. The shirt references both the cut of his past spandex togs, and his more casual sleeveless undershirt look. I wasn’t reading it as armored so much as structured. The strappy bits on his gloves aren’t working for me, however. They look busy. And belt buckle seems like the perfect place to sneak an accent of visual whimsy into this otherwise no-nonsense design—a little color, a interesting shape, or something.

Jason: 7. Very nice, simple design. Less is also better for Wolverine, as far as I’m concerned.

Ron: 7. I like this one.

Erica Henderson
Total Score: 54.5

Dean: 7. Super cool drawing, and a very functional costume. He kinda looks like a park ranger here, and his expression suggests a more well-adjusted take on the character. I like the subtle call-backs to Wolvie elements. The piping on the jacket, the stripe on the pants, the triangle section on the boots, etc.

Chris: 6. I like the idea of the jacket, but the actual shirt and pants don’t really evoke the Logan I’ve read in comics.

Rachel: 7.5. And we’re back on Gentleman Adventurer Wolverine, for whom I have to admit a growing fondness. This would work as a uniform for a miniseries or team-up, but not, I think, as anything Wolverine would come up with on his own.

Vito: 8. Rachel, you nailed something here. Adventure. This is definitely a Logan who is on the run. To me, this is James Howlett: Agent of SHIELD (or Department H, take your pick). I could see a near future version of our man wearing this. Very good entry, Erica!

Jon: 7. Very neat, the outfit under the jacket is a pretty straightforward old school superhero outfit, though the zipper is a nice paramilitary touch. The jacket-over-a-costume look works well for a lot of superheroes – Gambit and Animal Man come to mind – and the only thing that bothers me is picturing what it would look like if Wolverine had his jacket zipped up. The little brown briefs over his pants look okay on a full costume, but peeking out from under his jacket, they’d look a little silly.

Joel: 7. This is headed in a promising direction—I love the spirit of pulp adventure—but I agree that the jumpsuit needs to be worked out more.

Jason: 6. The REAL Old Man Logan. Bet there’s some hard candy in one of those pouches.

Ron: 6. I like everything but the boots.

Evan Bryce
Total Score: 54.5

Dean: 8.5. The classic short Wolvie look isn’t as popular these days, but I’m digging it here. Evan’s given Wolverine some elements from his future incarnation depicted by Mark Millar in Fantastic Four, which is a cool “call-forward.” I like the striped hood, the bare arms, and the protective headgear!

Jon: 9. This one is incredibly well-informed not only by the Bryan Hitch/Hooded Man incarnation, but also calls back to Frank Quitely’s X-Jacket design. I’m loving the stripes on the shoulders, and the bandaging of the wrists (If you think about, adamantium skeleton and healing factor or no, Wolverine relies on his forearms and wrists, so taping them seems like a good idea, to reduce temporary spraining and such). The whole thing has the look of a ritualistic, underground motorcycle gang, both futuristic and feral. The only thing keeping it from a “10″ is that I don’t understand how the headpiece works, or what it’s for – it looks fantastic when the hood’s up, odd when the hood’s down. Other than that, though, my favorite.

Chris: 8. A far more stocky Logan than we’re used to, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. This barrel-chested Canucklehead is a more dramatic redesign of Logan but it’s something I could get behind.

Vito: 7. I like everything but the faceplate, which is really confusing me. Why would a guy with an unbreakable skeleton need a headpiece? I appreciate how Evan used Wolverine’s actual size, too. And are these the actual colors?

Joel: 7. I’m completely ignorant of the references other people are seeing here, but this is a really nice design. My eye is especially drawn to the relationship between the 3-stripe piping and the big, solid X. It looks too young and urban to be the Logan I’m familiar with, but it sure ought to be somebody.

Rachel: 5. I’m not super fond of this–I think it’s too jogging-suit suburban. And I’m having a hell of a time getting past that goofy expression on his face in the top right. Looking at it again, though, what it strikes me as more than anything is Wolverine as a New God. There’s something very Kirby Alien about this outfit–maybe it’s the incorporation of the martial face-plate with the very streamlined spandex.

Jason: 5. Sorry, I’m just not feelin’ it like everybody else. The faceplate and the jogging suit don’t work for me.

Ron: 5. Now thats different. But not really Wolverine.

Victor Newman
Total Score: 54

Dean: 6. Not bad, but who accessorizes with arrows anymore. Please.

Rachel: 6. This one also looks like a spacesuit to me, or at least like the bodysuits astronauts wear under them. Government issue.

Chris: 6. Some designs really go a long way in telling a story — but that’s not the main goal of these contests. While Victor’s imagination on this is really innovative, one of the challenges of these contests is to be creative while still making something that Marvel would actually pick up on to replace the current costume.

Vito: 10. It’s perfect to me…the second of two in the competition. What I like about this design is the lines. They don’t take away anything. They exist to streamline the entire image of Wolverine. I even like the way the lines on the sleeves parallel his claws! I’d like to see the mask, but it doesn’t need it. Victor even has that classic shape of the brown costume incorporated into the costume. This says X-Force to me, but it could easily be the first of a line of costumes for the X-Men team. Great job!

Jon: 6. It’s a nicely done costume, but there’s nothing to it that screams ‘Wolverine,” and “X-Men” for that matter once the belt buckle is removed. I find myself with a lot of questions about it – why the elbows, why the knees. Great belt, great lines, and the boots and both the piping and the cut of the legs are great, just not specifically Wolverine-y…

Joel: 6. The really Wolverine thing about this costume, of course, are the arrows sticking out of his back. Which, as fashion accessories go, is a very bold choice.

Jason: 6. What Jon said. Cool costume. Just doesn’t say “Wolverine” to me.

Ron: 8. Nice drawing! some adjustments could be real cool. aybe do womething with the neckline, and maybe give him gloves to match the boots.

Note: Check back next week for the Wolverine: Look Sharp Honorable Mentions! – Dean