TOURING THE COMIC BOOK ROUTE IN THE CENTER OF BRUSSELS - The Secret World of Belgian Comic Strips

This video follows me on a quest to find the most beautiful comic strip murals in the center of Brussels.
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Comic Book Route Brussels:
Brussels’ Comic Book route began in 1991 as an initiative of the local authorities of the City of Brussels in collaboration with the Belgian Comic Strip Center. Today, the Brussels' Comic Book Route offers more than 50 mural paintings, most of them located within the City Centre.
Art Mural is the association that is behind all these Comic Strip murals. This association was created by five artists in 1984, mainly aimed to create mural paintings in public areas. Since 1993, it has been devoted to the creation of new murals for Brussels' Comic Book Route, with a rhythm of two to three new works per year. Initially the Comic book art murals, was a project that only intended to embellish empty walls and gables of buildings in the city. It then became an opportunity to celebrate the rich comic book heritage of Brussels, which claims to be the capital of the "comic strip".
Asterix and Obelix:
This mural is actually one of the biggest ones painted in Brussels. This great classic was created by Goscinny and Uderzo has been translated into 110 languages and sold more than 300 million comic strip albums spawning many movies and cartoon adaptations throughout the years.
Following its trail, the Comic Book Route is a good way to discover the capital and even visit some neighborhoods that are less known by tourists. If you don’t feel like walking the whole route, The Brussels tourist association Pro Velo organizes a 2-hour bike tour starting at the Bicycle Riders House (Maison des cyclistes).
Lucky Luke:
Lucky Luke is a Western comic strip series created by Belgian cartoonist Morris in 1946 and is both a tribute to the mythic Old West and an affectionate parody. Morris wrote and drew the series single-handedly until 1955, after which he started collaborating with French writer René Goscinny, who also created the Astérix series.
The Broussaille Wall:
As mentioned, Broussaille was the first comic book wall to be painted and is based on an original project of the Belgian comic book artist Frank Pé. With its surface of about 35 square metres., the mural painting was inaugurated in July 1991 at the intersection between the central streets Rue du Marché au Charbon and Rue des Teinturiers.
Tintin et Milou:
Perhaps the most famous (and recognisable) mural is the fire-escape scene from Hergé’s The Calculus Affair that decorates the side of a building on Rue l’Etuve , 37 - its heroes, Tintin, Captain Haddock and Snowy the dog are scuttling down steep metal stairs.
Torgal:
The cartoon mural depicts Thorgal with his wife Aaricia and overlooks Place Anneessens at the corner of the square and rue de la Caserne. Hidden behind his shell of mighty warrior Thorgal is committed to justice and freedom and very much aspires to a peaceful life with his beloved wife.
Ric Hochet:
Ric Hochet is one of those hyperactive characters of the comic strip world. A journalist and very athletic, he pursues his investigations at the wheel of his Porsche. Tibet, who draws him, keeps his readers enthralled right up to the last illustration plate, thanks to a versatile and slightly Disney-caricatured style, which has since won quite a following.
Spirou:
The Spirou mural fits in perfectly with the Marolles district where second-hand dealers reign supreme. This mural depicts Spirou, the adventurer, perfectly. Always accompanied by his friend, Fantasio, and Spip, his pet squirrel, Spirou fights all sorts of villains all around the world. This comic strip is still incredibly active, even after 75 years of existence.
Kinky & Cosy:
Kinky & Cozy, the crazy twins of Belgian author and designer Nix, have long occupied the three boxes of the "strip of the week" in the Focus Vif magazine. Then, the French daily Le Monde chose to adopt them on its website to react to the news. The mural depicts the two 'terrible children' in red dresses. This mural is painted on the facade of the building of the Socialist Mutuality, located rue des Bogards, in the city center.
#cityofbrussels #tintin #comicroutebrussels
0:00 - 1:32 Intro
1:33 - 1:46 What is the comic book route?
1:47 - 2:44 Asterix & Obelix mural
2:45 - 3:02 What is Art Mural?
3:03 - 3:46 Lucky Luke mural
3:47 - 3:58 Origin of Art Mural
3:59 - 4:38 Les Broussailles mural
4:39 - 4:58 What are Belgian Comic strips?
4:59 - 5:22 The power of Belgium
5:23 - 5:51 Beach painting
5:52 - 6:49 Tintin & Milou mural
6:50 - 7:47 Belgian tapestries
7:48 - 8:21 Torgal mural
8:22 - 9:19 Comics Art Museum
9:20 - 9:52 Ric Hochet Mural
9:53 - 10:22 Het Zinneke statue
10:23 - 11:01 Spirou mural
11:02 - 11:29 Art in Brussels
11:30 - 12:19 Le Chat murals
12:20 - 12:36 Brussels city mural
12:37 - XIII mural (Outro)