Detective comic book digs into Belgium's past

A Belgian comic book whose latest installment comes out on Friday seeks to illuminate lesser-known aspects of the European country's recent past with the help of a red-haired detective. Launched in 2018, the series by historian Patrick Weber and cartoonist Baudouin Deville sets fictional mysteries against the backdrop of key events and dates to paint a picture of Belgium's modern history.

The latest chapter, "Maison du Peuple 65," revolves around the ill-advised 1965 demolition of a Brussels building designed by the feted Art Nouveau architect Victor Horta.

Belgian comic character KathleenInstagram

"The idea is to revisit the common memory, to resurrect parts of Brussels that may have disappeared from the landscape but are still present in people's minds," said Weber. The comic book's hero, journalist Kathleen, is called to investigate the murder of a man opposing the building's demolition.

Home to the headquarters of the Belgian Labor Party, the Maison du Peuple was built by Horta between 1896 and 1898 in his trademark style, based on the aesthetics of curves. The majestic structure in the central Sablon district was brought down to make room for a 26-floor concrete skyscraper as Brussels morphed into the European Union's capital at the height of a post-war economic boom.

Belgian comic character KathleenInstagram

"Nobody prevented an incredible piece of architecture from being demolished," said Nicolas Anspach, who heads the strip's publisher, Anspach. UNESCO now lists Horta's other four significant townhouses in Brussels as world heritage sites and are among the city's main tourist attractions. Deville said authorities at the time "were not aware of the value" of the building.

The 1960s' indiscriminate urban development is now known as "Brusselisation." "Maison du Peuple 65" is the sixth installment in the series, which started with "Sourire 58," a spy story paying homage to the Universal Expo of 1958, which brought to Brussels its landmark Atomium monument. All books feature Kathleen, who never ages like the famed Belgian comic character Tintin.