Gauntlet Gallery
What is D*Face’s piece called “Suck Face”
Summary
"Suck Face" depicts a vintage comic-strip embrace appropriated and corrupted in classic D*Face fashion: a blonde, Lichtenstein-style romance heroine pulls a bespectacled, military-jacketed man into a kiss, but his face is a grinning fleshless skull, his mouth stitched shut, set against a Ben-Day dot sky. It is a quintessential example of his "doomed lovers" series, in which the swooning clinch of mid-century romance comics is hollowed out into a memento mori.
Why It Matters
The print distills D*Face's central move: hijacking the visual language of 1950s-60s American romance comics and advertising, then injecting death and decay where readers expect desire. By replacing the male lover's face with a skull, he turns a saccharine kiss into a comment on the rot beneath idealized love, celebrity and consumer fantasy. The work sits squarely in the Pop-art lineage of Lichtenstein and Warhol while carrying the irreverent, defacing edge of British street art, and it showcases the two motifs collectors most associate with him: comic-strip lovers and grinning skulls.
Collector Perspective
"Suck Face" pairs two of D*Face's most sought-after themes, romance subversion and mortality, in a single image, which gives it broad appeal among collectors who want a representative example of his style rather than a one-off. The edition size for this 2014 screen print is not documented here, so scarcity cannot be precisely pinned, but D*Face hand-pulled prints from this period typically run in editions of a few hundred and trade actively in the secondary market. As a clean, graphically bold "lovers" composition it tends to hold collector interest better than his more peripheral subjects; condition, signature and numbering will drive value at the margins.
Historical Context
Created in 2014, during D*Face's Pop Provocation era, the print draws directly on the panel grammar of mid-20th-century romance comics: the idealized blonde with sculpted curls, the dark-haired leading man, the flat primary palette and the Ben-Day dot field that Roy Lichtenstein made fine-art shorthand for. D*Face corrupts that nostalgia with a skull face, stitched mouth and a winged insignia on the man's jacket, recurring devices through which he satirizes romance, fame and consumer culture rather than celebrating them.
FAQ
What does this D*Face print depict?
A vintage comic-strip-style embrace in which a blonde romance heroine kisses a bespectacled, military-jacketed man whose face is a grinning skull with a stitched-shut mouth, set against a Ben-Day dot background. It is one of D*Face's signature 'doomed lovers' images, fusing 1950s-60s romance-comic imagery with a memento mori skull.
What medium is it?
A screen print (silkscreen), the hand-pulled printmaking method D*Face uses for most of his limited-edition prints.
When was it made?
2014, during what we classify as D*Face's Pop Provocation era.
What is the edition size?
The edition size is not confirmed in our records. D*Face hand-pulled screen prints from this period typically run to a few hundred impressions, but buyers should verify the specific edition number on the print or its certificate.
Is it signed and numbered?
D*Face limited-edition prints are typically hand-signed and numbered by the artist, often in pencil. Confirm the signature and edition number on the individual example, as this is not separately documented here.
Who is D*Face?
D*Face is the British street artist Dean Stockton (born 1978, London), a pop-art provocateur known for defacing romance-comic, advertising and celebrity imagery with motifs like the winged-eyed 'D*Dog,' grinning skulls and doomed comic-strip lovers. 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.