Gauntlet Gallery
What is D*Face’s piece called “Drive Bye Shouting (Blink 182) (LA Edition)”
Summary
A wide, panoramic comic-pop scene set inside a car at night: a green-haired woman in the passenger seat recoils and raises her hand toward the driver, who is rendered as one of D*Face's grinning death's-head figures gripping the wheel beneath a purple, teal and red glow. Produced as the LA Edition tied to a Blink-182 collaboration, it folds the artist's recurring 'doomed comic-strip lovers' motif into a music-world crossover.
Why It Matters
The print distills D*Face's core method: lifting the visual language of 1950s-60s romance comics and corrupting it from within, here turning the cinematic intimacy of two figures in a car into something darker by replacing the leading man with a skull. The wide letterbox framing and high-contrast purple/teal palette push it toward a film-still or album-art register, which suits its origin as a music collaboration. It sits at the intersection of two threads that recur across his catalogue, the romance-comic appropriation and the celebrity/pop-culture crossover, making it a clear example of how he moves between gallery work and the music world.
Collector Perspective
An edition of 67 is genuinely small for a D*Face screen print, putting it in the scarce band where availability on the secondary market is intermittent rather than constant. Demand is helped by the Blink-182 association and the LA Edition designation, which broadens interest beyond core street-art buyers to band and music-poster collectors. The grinning-skull lovers imagery is among his more recognizable and commercial motifs, and the panoramic format gives it strong wall presence. As a 2017 screen print from his Established Era it is a mid-career work rather than an early rarity, so it should be assessed on edition size, condition, and whether it is hand-signed and numbered rather than on scarcity alone.
Historical Context
By 2017 D*Face (Dean Stockton, b.1978, London) was well into his Established Era, with a track record of murals, gallery shows and his StolenSpace gallery behind him. The image draws directly on mid-century American romance-comic panels, the same source pool that fuels much of his output, and recasts the couple-in-a-car trope through his death's-head treatment. Issued as an LA Edition alongside the Blink-182 collaboration, it reflects the period's growing overlap between street artists and the music industry, where print editions doubled as merch-adjacent collectibles for a band's audience.
FAQ
What does this print depict?
A night-time scene inside a car: a green-haired woman in the passenger seat raises her hand toward the driver, who is rendered as a grinning skull-faced figure at the wheel. The palette is purple, teal and red, framed in a wide cinematic format, a play on D*Face's recurring 'doomed comic-strip lovers' theme.
How large is the edition?
The edition size is 67 for this LA Edition. That is small for a D*Face screen print and places it in the scarce range.
What medium is it?
It is a screen print, produced in 2017.
Is it signed and numbered?
D*Face limited prints are typically hand-signed and numbered by the artist, though this should be confirmed against the specific example and any certificate or documentation supplied.
Who is D*Face?
D*Face is the British street artist Dean Stockton (b.1978, London), a pop-art provocateur known for defacing comic-book romance, advertising and celebrity imagery. His signature motifs include the winged-eyed 'D*Dog', grinning skulls and doomed comic-strip lovers, and he co-founded the StolenSpace gallery in London.
Related Works
About the Artist
D*Face is the working name of Dean Stockton (b. 1978, London), a leading figure in British street art. He came up pasting stickers and posters across London in the early 2000s, then built a pop-fuelled visual language that defaces comic-book romance, advertising and celebrity iconography. Recurring motifs include his winged-eyed D*Dog, grinning skulls and doomed comic-strip lovers. His practice spans screenprints, hand-painted multiples, sculpture and large-scale murals worldwide, and he co-founded the StolenSpace gallery in London. His work satirises consumerism, power and our collective obsession with fame.
Collecting D*Face at Gauntlet Gallery
Where can I buy authentic D*Face prints?
Gauntlet Gallery offers an extensive, authenticated inventory of D*Face prints and contemporary editions, with new drops added regularly. Browse the current collection at gauntlet.gallery.
How does Gauntlet Gallery ensure authenticity?
Gauntlet Gallery is built on curation, authenticity and transparency — every work is vetted and its provenance, edition details and condition are disclosed up front.
Does Gauntlet Gallery add new D*Face prints?
Yes. New drops are released regularly across D*Face and other leading artists; see gauntlet.gallery for the latest inventory.