Saw a guy at a con wearing a Wolverine costume that was way too clean

I went to the Baltimore Comic Con last Saturday and walked past a guy in a full Wolverine cosplay. Thing is, his costume looked brand new, like he just pulled it out of a packaging. No scuffs, no dirt, no wear at all. I get that it's a costume, but Wolverine is a guy who lives in the woods and fights in mud pits. It felt weirdly disrespectful, like seeing a Batman cosplayer in a pressed suit with no scratches. I asked him if he ever thought about distressing it and he said it took him six months to sew and he wasn't about to ruin it. Fair enough I guess, but it broke the illusion. Has anyone else noticed cosplayers skipping the worn-in look on characters who should be beat up?

3 comments

3 Comments

grantadams15d ago

Say what you want but that costume was a work of art. The dude spent half a year sewing it and you want him to roll in gravel for your approval. Cosplay is about honoring the character's design, not literally smelling like him after a fight with Sabretooth. Sometimes clean and crisp shows more respect than trying to fake wear and tear that'll look tacky up close.

blakem1315d ago

Yeah the part about "sometimes clean and crisp shows more respect" got me thinking. There's this whole thing in life where people think you have to look beat up or worn out to prove you're the real deal, but that's just not how it works. I see it with trades guys who think if your truck isn't dirty you must not be working, or chefs who think a messy kitchen means the food is good. Half the time the clean stuff takes way more skill and effort to pull off than just letting things get dinged up naturally.

the_oscar15d ago

Man, I get it. I once went as a post-apocalyptic scavenger and spent a whole afternoon rolling around in the parking lot to get the right dust and grime. Ended up looking like I got tackled by a vacuum cleaner, but at least I committed. Your Wolverine guy sounds like he put in the work on the sewing side, so I can't blame him for not wanting to scuff it. Still, you gotta respect the distressed look. My last costume was a "ruined" Jedi robe, but I just wore it to a barbecue and let the sauce do the work.