The Caped Crusader crashes through the window. A spray of glass shards partially melds into the two loosely rendered gray figures. Their ominous shapes and the frantic motion of the broken glass add tension to the pugilistic struggle that ensues. That is just part of the skull-thumping, chain-bursting action to be found in the Figge Art Museum's Comics, Heroes, & American Visual Culture, an exhibition light on context but rich with exciting visuals.

Roughly 150 years ago in Europe, Impressionist and young Post- Impressionist artists were first delighting in the ukiyo-e, wood-block prints from Japan.

These images portrayed popular Japanese actors and courtesans, illustrated well-known stories and plays, showed views of landscapes with everyday people, and documented scenes from ordinary life. These inexpensive prints were wildly popular in Japan, and became a huge influence on 19th Century European artists. These prints changed art history, and as surprising as they seem now, they were even more startling in mid-19th Century Europe.

There is a delicious communication between an artist and an audience through the created works. The movement of ideas into art gives off meanings that we, the audience, can then discover from our own understanding.

Adding the energies and sensibilities of two artists to this mix can be like two cooks in the same kitchen, bumping into each other, working separately but inspiring each other, or blending into a new persona.

There is always some experience that acts as starting point inspiring an artist to begin a work. It could be the light on a surface, a gathering of forms, or the mood of a face. It might be the work of another artist, or a memory. There are thousands of sources. The best beginnings are those that, when filtered through the artist, turn the eye inward, causing discovery in and communication with the viewer.