Kevin Smith and Stan Lee may be best known for bringing superheroes to life but last Friday they took their own heroic turn. The two raised $25,000 to help victims of Hurricane Irma at MegaCon Tampa Bay.
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Lee hosted a panel for the opening night of the second annual convention on Friday and about half way through the panel, Smith joined the comics legend on stage to kick off an auction to benefit Feeding Florida. Creative Loafing Tampa Bay reports that for auction were seven, one-of-a kind items, including signed lithographs, comics, and a private dinner with Lee at the convention.
Lee, who worked with MegaCon organizers on the charity auction and fundraising efforts, explained to fans at the panel that the reason for the auction was because he felt like Americans are all neighbors who should help each other.
“We’re all neighbors living in this country,” Lee said. “It would be very conceited if I said my being here was helping, but I wanted to be here to give what support I could.”
Smith also got in on the fundraising action, offering up a paid cameo in his next film, Jay and Silent Bob Get a Reboot. As bidding on the cameo rose, Smith kept the crowd entertained by making jokes at his own expense.
“You do realize Ben Affleck is not in this movie?” Smith asked once bidding hit $5,000.
The winning bid for the movie cameo topped out at $6,000, the second highest bid behind a $10,000 weekend with Lee at his Los Angeles Comic Con in October, including a private dinner with Lee and a concert with The Black Eyed Peas. And Smith’s jokes didn’t stop at poking fun at himself. The writer and director also poked fun at Lee during the bidding for the Tampa dinner.
“Dinner with Stan Lee on Saturday,” Smith said. “Once in a lifetime. Stan’s looking at the offer right now, ‘I didn’t agree to this sh–!’”
“I better brush up on my table manners,” Lee joked, but Smith had bid-minded comeback.
“$1,700 bucks, and he will use a napkin.”
