GALACTIC GALLERY
IS OUT OF THIS
WORLD by Brooke Ezzo | photo courtesy of Ben Stevens
S
omewhere between a galaxy far far away and Diagon Alley, you’ll find a popculture art gallery that is bringing some of the most iconic movie moments to life. Whether you want to travel Back to the Future or get advice from a lifelike Yoda statue, Galactic Gallery in Flower Mound is a destination spot for all pop art fanatics. “It’s not your grandmother’s art gallery,” owner Ben Stevens said. “Think Batman, The Muppets, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and science fiction.” The Copper Canyon resident has accrued an incredible collection of memorabilia
and rare finds over his 20 years as owner and operator of the ultimate comic book convention, the Dallas Comic Con. The fan expo is a playground for comics, anime, gaming, cosplay, and is a hub for celebrity sightings. Stevens was first introduced to the fascinating world of comics at a young age, going to his first convention in the late 1970s with his father, who was a collector of many things including Disney comics from the 1940s.
By the time he sold in 2014, the Dallas Comic-Con had become a major event, hosting nearly 50,000 attendees from all over the world each year. In his post-convention life, Stevens started collecting pop culture art more seriously. That turned into a desire to build a gallery. The custom built 5,000-squarefoot building opened in September and houses hundreds of original movie posters, book covers, promotional paintings, animation cells, reproductions, and vintage sci-fi movie posters from the 1940s and 1950s.
“After being laid off from my tech job in 1994, I took that opportunity to start my own Dallas convention, which drew in a few hundred guests.”
“It had an impact on my life that I wouldn’t realize until much later,” Stevens said. “After being laid off from my tech job in 1994, I took that opportunity to start my 38 | LANTANA LIVING | OCTOBER 2020
own Dallas convention, which drew in a few hundred guests.”
“It’s really an extension of the things I enjoyed collecting at my own comic cons,” Stevens said. “Right now, 90 percent of the space is dedicated to Drew Struzan — an artist
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