Sting Dons John Constantine's Trench Coat, Pens Introduction to New Graphic Novel

Legendary rocker Sting will provide the introduction for an upcoming volume celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of Hellblazer -- and by way of marking the occasion, Sting donned a trenchcoat to make the announcement.

You can see the video, courtesy DC Comics, above.

In the video, per a DC press reelase, "worldwide music icon Sting reveals he will pen the foreword to the John Constantine, Hellblazer: 30th Anniversary Celebration commemorative collection. Sting’s foreword will take on the perspective of the Golden Boy, Constantine’s alternate-universe twin, touching on his relationship with the occult detective over the years.

"In the video, which he took time to film while preparing for his upcoming 44/876 tour with Shaggy, Sting captures the resemblance between himself and the character while wearing the recognizable Constantine trench coat. The musician’s inclusion in the Hellblazer celebration is a nod to the fact that he inspired the antihero’s signature look."

Originally introduced as a supporting character during Alan Moore's legendary run on Swamp Thing, John Constantine became the lead character in his own series, Hellblazer, which went on to become the longest-running Vertigo title of all time. After its conclusion, John was repatriated into the DC Universe proper as part of DC's New 52 relaunch in 2011.

Besides being one of the best-loved characters introduced by DC and Marvel in the post-Crisis on Infinite Earths era, Constantine has successfully transitioned into other media with both a movie -- 2005's Constantine, starring Keanu Reeves and Shia LaBeouf -- and a TV series on NBC. The latter, which ran for a single season, would later see lead actor Matt Ryan incorporated into Arrow on The CW. The actor (and character) will serve as a series regular on DC's Legends of Tomorrow beginning in October.

The commemorative collection will explore the complete history of the series with four one-page essays written by Hellblazer author Rich Handley. It will also include a comprehensive timeline of Constantine’s life and three one-page stories featured in John Constantine: Hellblazer issues #1, 2 and 4. Memorable stories from Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, Garth Ennis, Brian Azzarello, Paul Jenkins, Jamie Delano and others reflect the best of the long-lasting series, including Hellblazer issues #11, 27, 41, 63, 120, 146, 229 and 240 and Saga of the Swamp Thing #37, where the character was officially introduced.



The John Constantine, Hellblazer: 30th Anniversary Celebration commemorative collection will be available everywhere books are sold on October 30. Sting's 44/876 Tour with Shaggy starts on June 19th, please visit www.sting.com for more details.

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