Bob beat me to it, but I was also going to comment on the line weight distribution being fantastic.  There's just such a perception of mass to the 2D drawing when line thicknesses vary like this.

As for the 2 types of claw designs: I can't say I have a favorite myself.  The Miller style (except for the fact that they are inverted swords) gives the impression that the claws are sharp the entire length, from where they emerge from the hand all the way to the tip, like a real sword might be.  The type in the commission, the original style (besides being more animalistic as the character namesake) gives the impression that the sharpness is just at the tips (like stabbing pins rather than cutting knives).  You can see the half-cylinder shape of the claws where they emerge from the hand housings, in which the side facing the hand would be flat.  I think this type makes more sense to the character and supports the animal nature of Wolverine though.

Now that's Wolverine. The ticking timebomb of the X-Men. The guy who can fly into a rage with little provocation. Awesome commission, as usual!

How a character like that could eventually become a (relatively) calm, Samurai-type father-figure still baffles me.

And speaking of the claws...

On the one hand, the "Samurai" versions do allow for more than one cutting surface, but on the other hand, the original versions look more like, y'know, CLAWS. Which is sort of the point.

Another interesting point--in the comics, the claws extend from the backs of the hands, but in the movies, they pop out from in-between the fingers (more like a real animal's claws). Hmm.

I got a button that came with the first shipment box of direct monthly issues from Mile High I recieved back when I was in eighth grade. Five or ten of us thought that was the coolest thng to do at the time and we would read the newest isssues in the auditorium before homeroom every morning. That button looked interestingly alot like your commission JB.

That reminds me of an interesting forum type argument I would have with a friend every morning. I would take the side of Marvel saying Byrne was the best on Alpha Flight. He would take the side of DC saying Perez was the best on Teen Titans. An interesting memory as I reflect.

Problem is, the baby Samurai swords would have all their cutting edge along the top, meaning all his slashes would have to be backhanded -- which they're not.

Found the cover of DD #196 I was talking about.  Looks like the claws are popping out from his wrist.