For 30 years, the Parcours BD has been honoring key characters and authors of comics on its walls in Brussels. The Comic Strip Route is now an integral part of the Brussels urban landscape with more than sixty frescoes scattered between the city centre, Laeken and Haren. You can either admire them by district (Marolles, Centre, Laeken), or, for the most motivated, discover them all in one day!
The genesis of the Parcours BD dates back to the beginning of the 90s. The City of Brussels waged a firm fight against the large advertising posters making the city center ugly. These posters, once removed, showed dilapidated facades that needed to be restored. It is in this context that the first comic book fresco was produced. This is the character Broussaille by Brussels resident Frank Pé in the Plattesteen district. The initiative was great: to combine art and urban renewal, and initially allowed a few Brussels authors to be dedicated to the walls of the capital. Over the years, the Parcours has developed, non-Brussels but Belgian authors have collaborated… And then, foreign authors – Hugo Pratt, Zep, Dupuy-Berberian, Uderzo, Mezzo, to name a few – s part of the vast heritage of Franco-Belgian comics.
From Tintin to Spirou via Corto Maltese, Lucky Luke, Yoko Tsuno, Natacha, Asterix… Today there are some sixty characters that you can admire during a walk that will take you off the tourist trail and discover the small authentic and charming streets of Brussels.
In order to more accurately reflect the world of current comics, the Comic Strip Route is being modernized, also giving pride of place to author comics with artists such as Nix, Dominique Goblet, Brecht Evens.
