Gauntlet Gallery
What is D*Face’s piece called “Run Away (First Edition)”
Summary
Run Away depicts a romance-comic embrace gone monstrous: a woman in a tight red dress locked in a passionate kiss with a green-skinned, flat-topped Frankenstein-monster figure in an olive jacket, the whole scene corrupted by DFace's signature dripping, melting paint runs over a flat grey ground. It is a characteristic example of his doomed-lovers series, in which mid-century comic-strip romance is defaced into a darker meditation on love, lust and decay.
Why It Matters
The print sits at the core of DFace's most recognizable subject matter, his appropriation and subversion of vintage American romance comics. By recasting the swooning leading man as a Frankenstein-monster figure and dragging melting paint runs across the lovers, he turns the clean, idealized pop imagery of Lichtenstein-era romance panels into something grotesque and unsettling, satirizing the seductive fantasies sold by advertising and pop culture. It distils his ongoing themes of beauty undercut by decay and the monstrous side of desire into a single, legible image.
Collector Perspective
The doomed-lovers kissing-couple compositions are among the most sought-after motifs in DFace's print catalog, which helps an edition of 100 like this one. At 100 the run is moderately sized for a hand-pulled screen print, large enough to surface periodically on the secondary market but small enough to support steady demand. As a 2020 first edition from his established period, it is a recognizable, on-brand image rather than a rare early or one-off work, so it tends to trade as a solid mid-tier piece rather than a blue-chip rarity. Condition, full margins, and intact signature and numbering are the main value drivers.
Historical Context
The imagery draws directly on 1950s and 60s American romance and horror comic books, the same source pool that fed Pop Art, but DFace splices the romance clinch together with the Universal-horror Frankenstein monster to collapse love and monstrosity into one frame. Produced in 2020 during his established era, it reflects a mature phase in which his comic-appropriation language and dripping melt technique were fully developed signatures rather than emerging experiments, extending a lineage that runs from Roy Lichtenstein through street-art pop provocation.
FAQ
What does Run Away depict?
It shows a couple in a passionate embrace: a woman in a red dress kissing a green-skinned, flat-topped Frankenstein-monster figure in an olive jacket, with DFace signature dripping paint runs corrupting the romance-comic scene over a grey background.
What is the edition size?
The edition is limited to 100.
What medium is it?
It is a screen print, produced as a first edition in 2020.
Is it signed and numbered?
DFace limited-edition prints are typically hand-signed and numbered by the artist, though signature and numbering on any specific copy should be confirmed against the actual print and any accompanying certificate.
Who is DFace?
DFace is the British street artist Dean Stockton, born 1978 in London, a pop-art provocateur known for defacing romance comics, advertising and celebrity imagery, his winged-eyed DDog and grinning-skull motifs, and for co-founding the StolenSpace gallery.
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.