Belgium Comic Murals

THE BELGIUM town of Brussels is a popular tourist site and has unexpected delights in store for the comic book enthusiast.

Belgium is where Tintin was first published, created by Herge whose clean blue line style remains influential in comic strips across Europe. Belgium is itself similarly influenced by its neighbour France, where the comic book, or bande dessine as they are called, are often referred to as the ninth art.

Brussels has taken its enthusiasm and acknowledgment of comics to the extreme, and across the city, even in the oddest of back streets, you can turn a corner and find yourself confronted with some character from the funny pages contorted climbing up a drainpipe or simply standing there quite literally larger than life. For the city is filled with murals of scenes from comic books.

Once upon a time I used to work at The Birmingham Post & Mail's National Exhibition Centre office, and there had the pleasure of working with Mr Peter Baxter, or Norman as he preferred to be called! I've had the pleasure and privilege of remaining friends with him since.

Last year, while on family tree fact finding mission Norman and his wife Valerie were in Brussels and came upon the comic murals, and impressed took many a photograph of them.

Over the next few days we will be featuring the photographs for your entertainment. Alas, I don't know all the characters featured, but if you do, please let us know here at Speech Balloons. I am also considering gathering a party to go see these comic book sights for myself, if you fancy a trip across the sea let me know.

Above: The Scorpion, created by Marin and Desberg - an absolutely excellent flashing blade thriller translated for the UK market by Cinebook.

Above: the popular character of Gaston, created by Belgium's Andre Franquin. Rarely published in English, in fact the last time I can recall it being so was possibly in Prime Cuts, an anthology published by Fantagraphics in America many years ago.

Again, my thanks to Norman and Val for the use of their © photos, more soon.