As you may already know, I've returned from a short trip across the pond. The highlight of the trip was definitely the visit to Belgium, where I visited the Belgian Comic Strip Center in Brussels and the Hergé Museum in Louvain-la-Neuve. It was so inspiring to view the original sketches and plates of the artists which have inspired me over the years. Looking at an original Hergé page is a trip: You can see where mistakes were made and sections have been covered with new paper, so it almost looks 3D. And on his sketches you can see his doodles and notes unrelated to the main page content. It's a strong reminder that comics are a medium for reproduction, and that one shouldn't be afraid of a few mistakes on the way.

It was a pleasure meeting and attending these museums with the gracious and helpful Belgianfur  wonxi. You made my visit extra special!

Also, Europe is the land of airlines that sound fictional:
-JetairFly
-Tailwind Airlines
-Jet Airways

C'mon, Jet Airways? That's like the name of an unimaginative fake airline in a Van Damme movie.

I leave you with the most stunning imagery from my visit: A film clip from 1960 showing Hergé drawing Tintin and Snowy. When I saw this same clip in the museum, I was awestruck. I know that by this time he had probably drawn Tintin a million times and could probably do it in his sleep, but it's still fascinating to see it flow from his pen with such grace.