Belgium takes its comic strip tradition seriously, calling it the "ninth art." This museum, housed in Victor Horta's elegant 1906 iron-and-glass Waucquez building near the Botanical Garden, makes the case comprehensively. The permanent collection traces the history of Belgian comics from the earliest newspaper strips through to contemporary work, with deep sections on Hergé's Tintin, Peyo's Smurfs, and Lucky Luke. Original drawings, colour proofs, reconstructed studios, and an excellent research library fill five floors.
Non-French speakers will find much of the explanatory material in French or Dutch, but the artwork largely speaks for itself. The building alone is worth a visit. The museum shop is one of the best places in the city to buy original comic art and quality prints.