Comic books are a big part of Belgian culture. The country that brought us the Smurfs, Tintin, Marsupilami and many more. Belgian passports even have them officially emblazoned on their pages!

There are 68 murals in the city with a core of well-loved artworks. Many include famous characters such as Tintin, Ric Hochet as well as more modern protagonists such as Broussaille by Frank Pé or XIII from a popular video game adaptation. In recent years, some of the murals have been a source of controversy for having racist or misogynistic undertones. The city council has answered this by including a QR code plaque next to many of the murals linking to its historical context.

Check out my blog post on 20 Things To See & Do In Brussels

1 | Odilon Verjus

Location: Rue des Capucins 13

This mural depicts a scene from the comic book adventures of missionary Odilon Verjus by Larent Verron. Odilon is sent on frequent missions which involve well known historical characters, such as Edith Piaf, John Wayne, Hitler and Agatha Christie. In this particular story Odilon works with Josephine Baker (a famous singer and cabaret dancer) on a secret mission in Nazi Germany.

2 | Blondin et Cirage

Location: Rue des Capucins 21

Blondin et Cirage, who are also known as Blondie and Blinkie were created by Jijé. In this mural Blondin and Cirage are in a grocery shop with Marsupilami. The duo solve mysteries and crimes together and go on worldwide adventures.

3 | Le Jeune Albert

Location: Rue des Alexiens 49

Young Albert, written by Chaland is a comic about a young boy growing up in post WWII Brussels. Albert is a troublemaker and prankster who makes life for everyone around him very difficult.

This mural is dedicated to the memory of Chaland who died very young in a traffic accident.

4 | Trick Of The Eye

Location: Rue de Namur 84

This is one of Steve Locatellia’s later artworks. The self-taught graffiti artists started out in the 90s painting murals on the Brussels’s underground.

5 | XIII

Location: Rue Philippe de Champagne 29-31

Thirteen is a graphic novel series about a man who wakes up on a beach in New York City with amnesia and the Roman numerals for the number 13 on his arm. He soon becomes involved in a conspiracy to overthrow the government. It was created by writers Jean Van Hamme and William Vance in 1984 and has since become so popular it’s been adapted in to TV shows and video games.

6| Ric Hochet

Location: Rue de Bon Secours 9

Ric Hochet is a comic created by Tibet which follows a brave but increasingly obnoxious journalist. A journalist who works with the Paris police to solve crimes, often murders or kidnappings. In this scene, Ric attempts to rescue his lover, Nadine Bourdon, from a villain with a knife in her apartment. The older man below with a dog is Nadine’s father and Commissaire Bourdon who unofficially works with Ric.

7 | Broussaille

Location: Rue du Marché au Charbon Kolenmarkt 41

Broussaille is the main character, a student in love with nature and animals. The comic often sees him walking the city and imagining how it would be if whales were to swim above the houses and fish were to swim down the street. The dreamlike landscapes and adventures are what make this comic unique.

This was the first large mural in Brussels in 1991 but it soon become the centre of controversy when people argued the mural appeared to be a same sex couple, it also happens to be in the gay district of Brussels. In 1999 the mural was repainted to make the left character look like a woman, but many still think it looks like a man. I think it still looks like a same sex couple, so I would love to see the original!

8 | Victor Sackville

Location: Rue du Marché au Charbon Kolenmarkt 60

Victor Sackville is the protagonist of a comic of the same name who is a spy for the King of England sent to thwart the enemy’s plans where ever possible. Set during WWI, the comic is known for great attention to the architecture and fashion of the era. This particular scene is taken from the adventure when Victor travels to Brussels in 1916 in the comic ‘The Zimmerman Code – The Death Opera’.

9 | Tintin

Location: Rue de l’Etuve 37

Tintin has been one of Belgium’s main exports since his creation by Here in 1929. This particular scene is from The Calculus Affair, in which the trio attempt to rescue their friend, a professor who has invented a potentially deadly machine that must not fall in to the wrong hands.

Tip: Directly below the mural is one of the better comic book shops of the city, complete with merchandise, comics and novels.

10 | Balkan Trafik

Location: Rue des Bouchers 5

Not a comic book mural but definitely a great addition. This mural was painted by Rikardo Druškić, a Croatian artist who has spent most of his life in Bosnia & Herzegovina. He says the mural is meant to show the world through the eyes of a child, happy and colourful without judgement.

11 |Discreet But Efficient

Location: Pt Rue des Bouchers 1

Definitely the smallest mural on this list but suprisingly powerful. This mural and three others like it were painted by Jaune, a Belgian street artists and former street cleaner. He has created these little scenes to make street cleaners more visible and part of the public consciousness. He felt that as a Street cleaner he was ignored as part of the general background and not treated as a regular person.

His creative scenes also feature street cleaners facing down a tidal wave of rubbish at Oppemstraat 45 and a tiny cleaner lifting an abandoned armchair in the air with the help of pigeons at Arteveldestraat 137.

12 |Make Us Young!

Location: Pt Rue des Bouchers 1

This style of street art was brought to Brussels by Estonian artists who combine graffiti with AR to create memorable installations. This particular one is of three old ladies who become young once more with the touch of a button.

13 | Cori le Moussaillon

Location: Rue des Fabriques 21

Cori the Ship’s Boy is a comic created by Bob de Moor who spent 35 years of his career working with Herge on Tintin. In his spare time he worked on his own comic, about a boy who wanted nothing other than to be at sea and would travel the world on voyages with the Dutch East India Company.

14 | Asterix en Obelix

Location: Rue de la Buanderie 33

Of all the comic mentioned above, Asterix and Obelix are the characters I grew up with. Which is why I’m gutted I didn’t find the time to hunt out the mural. The mural is a little harder to find than the others as its hiding in a basketball court but that’s no excuse.