One of favorite things about walking around in the old area of Brussels near the Grand-Place is that you can unexpectedly come across giant murals on the sides of buildings illustrating scenes from the Adventures of Tintin. This series of comic books was created by Belgian artist Georges Remi (who wrote under the pen name of Hergé) and was one of the most popular European comic series in the 20th century.
Although I am fortunate to make trips to Brussels a couple of times a year, my trips are short in duration and I never get to know the city very well. As a result, it’s a real joy to rediscover a Tintin mural when I am wandering through the winding streets of Brussels, as I did yesterday, when I stumbled onto one of my favorite murals, depicting two boys walking together.
CORRECTION: It turns out that there are a lot of different comic book artists have works depicted in murals throughout Brussels and this mural from a series by Frank Pé with a main character called Broussaille, not from the Tintin series. Broussaille is the blond character on the right and his girlfriend Catherine is on the left. The mural was painted in 1991 and then repainted in 1999 to make Catherine appear more feminine—many believed the mural depicted a gay couple, given the proximity of the mural to Brussel’s gay district.
You also can see some interesting signs in the streets of Brussels, like this one, which seems to be advertising a beer by using a baby.
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Mike Powell 
Love the first one!
I remember seeing the Adventures of Tintin cartoons on TV years ago. I don’t remember too much of the story lines but I remember that he always had a dog.
Thanks for sharing these.
i didn’t now Brussels was a Tin Tin fan..love the idea of the murals… but the baby!! LOL now thats a worry 😀
Street art is always interesting and the two friends walking in the air is exceptional. Maybe I need to book a trip to Brussels.
Tintin and his “friend” look like more than friends, if you know what I mean. Not that there’s anything wrong with it. 😉
Your comment caused me to do a little research and I discovered that the characters are not from The Adventures of Tintin, but from a comic by Frank Pé called Brousaille, where the main character was a detective. The mural was painted in 1991 and was originally thought by many to depict a gay couple, given its proximity to the city’s gay district. In 1999 it was repainted and locals argued that the figure on the left was “heterosexualized” with longer hair, an earring, and somewhat curvier breasts. You can draw your own conclusions about the mural.