In my ongoing efforts to make old friends feel even older, I’m wishing Gerry Conway a happy 57th birthday by posting an image he helped bring into being 38 years ago, when we were both a heck of a lot younger.

The year: 1971. I was 16, while Gerry was a seemingly ancient and much older 19.

The place: The basement of the Times Square branch of Nathan’s.

The event: A standalone dealer’s room without any convention programming surrounding it, dubbed Nathan’s Con, and organized by Phil Seuling. It was a precursor to the Second Sundays Phil set up each month so we’d have a place to spend our money between his annual July 4th cons.

Mixed in with about 8-10 dealers’ tables was a table containing some artists and writers drawing sketches and signing autographs. That’s me wearing the headband in the photo above. You can see Phil to the far left in the photo. Not pictured is birthday boy Gerry Conway, who at the time was writing Daredevil for Marvel Comics.

I don’t know which of the writers present (because Marv Wolfman and Len Wein were both also there) got the idea, but someone grew so bored that rather than just signing an autograph, he scripted a full panel. When it was my turn, Gerry scribbled out words to be spoken by Matt Murdock’s girlfriend Karen Page, and then passed the panel on to Alan Weiss, who at the time (if I’m remembering correctly) had only drawn some stories for House of Secrets and other DC anthology titles.

Alan drew the rather languid Karen Page below:

Other panels were written by Marv and Len and drawn by different artists, and I hope those sketches still exist. Collectors out there, if you have them, please share them with the world. History demands it!

But that’s not what’s important right now.

What matters, Gerry, is that I’ve made you remember what it was like to be 19, filled with hope, sitting in Times Square surrounded by adoring fans, your whole life ahead of you, while today … you’re 57.

No need to thank me.

Happy birthday, Gerry!