The visit is suitable for all ages. It certainly helps to already know some of the heroes on display, and most visitors may recognise at least the most famous ones, such as the Smurfs, Lucky Luke and Tintin.
Meet the authors. For example Jijé, one of the Godfathers of the Belgian comic strip movement. A jack of all trades - painter, sculptor, engraver, he was also a prolific comic strip artist, with series such as Jerry Spring, Blondin & Cirage or Tanguy & Laverdure. You’ll meet many more authors during the visit, masters and their disciples who later move on to create their own following.
Meet the heroes. For example Lucky Luke, whose 38 albums sold 300 million copies. Or the Smurfs, for which Hanna-Barbara produced 300 medium-length cartoons.
Comic strips reached their public initially through newspapers, but later as well through dedicated comic strip magazines and albums. Comic strip magazines, such as Spirou/Robbedoes, Tintin/Kuifje and later A Suivre/Wordt Vervolgd became popular in the 60s amd 70s. Spirou produced 110,000 pages from 130 authors during its lifetime. But now these magazines have all but disappeared in favour of albums.
As a young medium, the comic strip evolves. In its initial days, comic strips were used for evangelism by religion. Comic strips are a good medium for didactical purposes, especially for history lessons. Some modern strips bring a political message, more often than not through satire.
Genres proliferate, such as the historic strip (Alex), the animal strip (Chlorophyl), science-fiction (Blake & Mortimer), police comics (Gil Jourdan), fantasy (Thorgal), and so on.
Practical
The Belgian Comic Strip Center is in the heart of Brussels, within a short walking distance from all the main tourist spots in Brussels.
In summary
A well-documented museum, with a significant offering on its subject, in an Art Nouveau building by Victor Horta. A full visit takes 2 hours. Good facilities on-site, especially a comic strip shop with a large offering as well as a restaurant were you can try Belgian and international cuisine. The visit is correctly priced, especially in combination with the Marc Sleen Museum across the street.
Visit also:
- Marc Sleen Museum
- Hergé Museum
- Comic strip walls in Brussels
- Comic strip walls in Antwerp
