Eclecticity

MANEK S. KOHLI HEARS HIMSELF SAYING “ONLY IN BRUSSELS”, OVER AND OVER AGAIN. BE IT TINTIN, THE GRAFFITI, THE SEX MUSEUMS OR JUST THE AIR OF IRREVERENCE

- Manek S. Kohli

The young round-faced reporter Tintin quietly tiptoes down the back stairs of a moonlit building. He follows the foulmouthed Captain Haddock, who, as always, wears an annoyed expression. Between them, a clueless Snowy stares at me from the landing.

Unfortunately, this is a mural and my favourite childhood comic book characters will always remain frozen in this scene, instantly recognisable from The Calculus Affair. It blends seamlessly with the architecture at Brussels’ Rue de l’Etuve, and why wouldn’t it—Georges Remi (or Hergé), the Belgian creator of The Adventures of Tintin, was born in Brussels and lived here all his life. Despite the globetrotting tendencies of his protagonist, the cartoonist couldn’t help but sprinkle some of his city into his work, be it with Tintin’s house or a general streetscape.

If Hergé had not inspired the golden age of Belgian comics, we might have never seen the likes of The Adventures of Nero, Gaston and—you probably know this one—The Smurfs, which have contributed to making Brussels the ‘comics capital’. Streets more often than not have buildings with colourful murals. Tram station walls are similarly embellished. The previous day, I had spotted Nero latched to a tree at Place Saint-Géry, and gawked at Asterix, Obelix and the rest of the villagers amid a spectacular offensive against the Romans at Rue de la Buanderie. (Though by no means should one consider Asterix Belgian; it is as French as baguettes.)