As soon as I saw the collection of tributes to individual Jack Kirby panels over at HiLobrow, I not only knew I wanted to be a part of the project, but I also immediately knew which panel deserved my love.

It came from one of my favorite issues of the Fantastic Four, issue #11, from February 1963, which unlike most issues, contained two stories. The Impossible Man was introduced in one of them, while we fans were able to get up close and personal with our heroes during “A Visit with the Fantastic Four” in the other.

In the panel below, which I would have seen when I was seven, the supergroup bumps into a group of kids pretending to be them, and as my brief essay explains … I could have been one of those kids.

The post begins:

When I was a kid, I grew up on the streets of Brooklyn, a borough of—not Metropolis, not Gotham, not Central City—but New York. You know—where the Marvel superheroes lived.

Which meant that although I could never hope to catch a glimpse of Superman flying by, there was always a chance I might turn the corner and bump into the Fantastic Four. Because I lived in New York City.

Jack Kirby’s city.

You can read the full story here.