History Main / TrenchcoatBrigade

* Marcos Bizancio from ''ComicBook/{{Bizancio}}'', is an Argentinian equivalent.
* Also Alex Bujarin from ''ComicBook/{{Bujarin}}''.
* Cal [=McDonald=] from the ''ComicBook/CriminalMacabre'' comics by Steven Niles isn't British, but otherwise fits this trope to a T. He even uses ghouls as informants.
* Pete Wisdom from ''ComicBook/ExcaliburMarvelComics'' (even when he wasn't being written by Warren Ellis, his creator) was always like this. He's cleaned up a bit recently, though. Given up smoking and everything. Some fans have theorised that the original character ''was'' the NinetiesAntiHero version of the character, and this is just a [[CharacterDevelopment natural progression]]. Since Excalibur deals with Marvel's mutants in England, and ''lots'' of dimension-travelling, there's no question about the supernatural elements he's had to face.
* Bigby Wolf from ''ComicBook/{{Fables}}'', who wears a trenchcoat and smokes thin cigars. The actual [[TheBigBadWolf Big Bad Wolf]], Bigby nonetheless has supernatural powers in him, and he's a detective too.

* The UrExample is, of course, John Constantine from ''ComicBook/{{Hellblazer}}'' of Creator/VertigoComics. He first appeared in ''ComicBook/SwampThing'' and spun-off into his own series some years later. (''Swamp Thing'' showed the title character and John Constantine both active in ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'', although Constantine had only a ''very'' small role in the actual miniseries.) Constantine was created by Creator/AlanMoore based on his idea of "creating a character who looked like Music/{{Sting}}", although Sting did not tend to wear trenchcoats or smoke (at least in public).

*** The ComicBook/{{New 52}}'s ComicBook/JusticeLeagueDark is essentially a successor to the Trenchcoat Brigade. Like the original, it deals in the occult and is headed by John Constantine. For a period it also included original Trenchcoat Brigader Phantom Stranger
* Though many writers have wanted to use Constantine in their series, DC [[ExecutiveMeddling denied them]] up until 2011 because of the "mature readers" status of ''Hellblazer'' and fears that including the character in the more supposedly family-friendly parts of the Franchise/DCUniverse might cause controversy. So, instead, various [[CaptainErsatz analogues and homages]] to John have appeared. As the comics are in the same continuity anyway, this overlaps with ExpyCoexistence.
** Due to the above, Creator/GrantMorrison created Willoughby Kipling for their run on ''ComicBook/DoomPatrol'' (which, ironically, would join the "mature readers" club six months later). They also based him on Withnail from ''Film/WithnailAndI''.
** Also due to the above, Creator/PhilFoglio's update of ''ComicBook/StanleyAndHisMonster'' featured author Creator/AmbroseBierce drawn to look like Constantine and playing much the same role. The series claims that his horror stories were based on truth, and he staged his own disappearance to avoid an EldritchAbomination that was coming to complain about his depiction of it. People keep mistaking him for Constantine, who he calls a clown.

* Image's ''ComicBook/{{Invincible}}'' has demon detective Damien Darkblood, who's something of an expy of both Constantine and Hellboy; solving cases gets him a reprieve from being sent back to Hell for a few years each. Unfortunately for him, he isn't very good at his job (when he finally pieced together the case of [[spoiler: Omni-Man's murder of the Guardians of the Globe]] and revealed his findings, the truth of said case had already become public knowledge for some months).

* Constance Johanssen was Warren Ellis's homage/parody of Constantine in the ''Pryde and Wisdom'' mini-series: "Constance Johanssen. Excellent occult detective. Has a habit of getting her friends killed. Two hundred at last count."
* Creator/NeilGaiman also created John Constantine's ancestor for ''ComicBook/TheSandman1989'': Johanna Constantine. Even though she doesn't wear a trenchcoat, she's still a MagnificentBastard. It's also implied that Constantines gravitate towards this trope especially if their initials are "JC".
* ''ComicBook/{{Trese}}'' is a relatively rare female example: a babaylan[[note]]Indigenous Philippine spiritual leader[[/note]] who works as an OccultDetective who in fact wears a trenchcoat and has a rather moody personality, at times involved in surreal antics fitting of John Constantine. The [[WesternAnimation/{{Trese}} animated adaptation]] does the additional work of removing her signature HornedHairdo and (at least per WordOfGay) making "sapphic" much as Constatine is bisexual.
* ''ComicBook/WormwoodGentlemanCorpse'' has the lifestyle and ruthlessly morally ambiguous style of battling evil of one of these, but has the persona of a [[SlummingIt slumming]] public school type.
* ''ComicBook/XMen'': ComicBook/{{Gambit}}. Trenchcoat, stubble, mysterious past, dubious morality, all that's missing is the occult specialty, though he's had his fair share of occult dealings both as a member of the X-Men and before that as a member of the Thieves Guild.

* ''Franchise/{{Hellboy}}'' from Dark Horse: not only is he an {{occult detective}}, he's a trenchcoat fan and a heavy smoker.

* Jack Carter from ''ComicBook/{{Planetary}}'', also by Warren Ellis.

* ComicBook/{{Gambit}} from ''Franchise/XMen''. Trenchcoat, stubble, mysterious past, dubious morality, all that's missing is the occult specialty, though he's had his fair share of occult dealings both as a member of the X-Men and before that as a member of the Thieves Guild.

* Kiritsugu Emiya from ''Literature/{{FateZero}}''. He wears a grungy longcoat, smokes so much and has cold and calculating facade. Top of all that, he's also a MageKiller specializing in killing rogue mages with his own brand of magic.

* Ronan O'Connor from ''Videogame/MurderedSoulSuspect''. Though he doesn't wear a coat, he still smokes and snarks like it's running out of style, even in the afterlife.
* Bigby Wolf from the adaptation ''VideoGame/{{The Wolf Among Us}}''. While Bigby doesn't do trenchcoats, The voice actor really did great job in making him a ''Hellblazer''-standard SnarkKnight.

* "Omen" from ''VisualNovel/SuperNova'' is pretty much Constantine as a pine marten. Mnesis finds his supernatural antics very annoying, since he often interacts with the magical criminal underworld.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

The most famous spitting image of an OccultDetective, many creators figure that if they give a bloke a [[BadassLongcoat trenchcoat]], a pack of [[SmokingIsCool smokes]], a [[PermaStubble five o'clock shadow]], a [[DeadpanSnarker quick wit]], [[FirstPersonSmartass hard-boiled and self-referential dialogue]] and a [[DarkAndTroubledPast dark]], [[MysteriousPast mysterious past]], they've got themselves a MagnificentBastard of an AntiHero that they can send out to fight [[EldritchAbomination occult foes]].

** TropeNamer "Trenchcoat Brigade" was coined in the ''ComicBook/TheBooksOfMagic'' MiniSeries by Creator/NeilGaiman. There was even a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Trenchcoat_Brigade four issue Trenchcoat Brigade mini-series.]] In the minis - and in the main ''Comicbook/TheBooksOfMagic'' series - Constantine was teamed with DC characters ComicBook/ThePhantomStranger, [[OccultDetective Doctor Occult]], and Mister E; the Trenchcoat Brigade functioned as something of a mystical/magical ComicBook/JusticeLeague.

* Creator/NeilGaiman also created John Constantine's ancestor for ''Comicbook/TheSandman'': Johanna Constantine. Even though she doesn't wear a trenchcoat, she's still a MagnificentBastard. It's also implied that Constantines gravitate towards this trope especially if their initials are "JC".

-->-- ComicBook/ThePhantomStranger, ''Comicbook/TheBooksOfMagic''