Gauntlet Gallery
What is D*Face’s piece called “What Have I Become (First edition)”
Summary
"What Have I Become" appropriates a vintage Spider-Man comic panel: the hero crouches on a rooftop chimney clutching a raised mallet, his speech caption reading "WAIT! WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME? WHAT AM I DOING?" — while below him floats one of D*Face's signature winged forms. It's a representative example of D*Face's Pop Provocation Era practice of hijacking heroic comic imagery to stage a moment of guilt, doubt and existential crisis.
Why It Matters
The print captures D*Face's central method: taking the confident, all-American superhero and freezing him at the instant of moral collapse. By pairing Spider-Man's anguished caption with a weapon in his hand, D*Face turns a symbol of clean-cut heroism into a figure of self-loathing, satirising the gap between the icons culture sells us and the doubt underneath. The lifted Ben-Day halftone style and ironic speech-bubble text place him squarely in the Lichtenstein-to-street-art lineage, while the winged motif anchors the image to his own recurring visual language.
Collector Perspective
An edition of 90 is on the tighter side for a D*Face screen print, which supports its desirability among collectors who chase his early comic-appropriation work over later, larger runs. Spider-Man and other recognisable Marvel/DC subjects tend to draw the broadest cross-collector interest (street-art buyers plus comic-pop crowd), and the explicit "What Have I Become" narrative gives the image a hook beyond pure decoration. As a 2009 first edition it sits in the period collectors most associate with his rise, so condition, full margins and an intact signature/numbering will matter to value. Not a blue-chip flagship, but a solid, recognisable mid-tier piece.
Historical Context
Made in 2009, during what is framed here as D*Face's Pop Provocation Era, the print draws directly on Silver Age Marvel comic art and the Roy Lichtenstein tradition of enlarged, halftoned panels. The appropriated Spider-Man, the deadpan caption box, and the muted newsprint palette all reference mass-produced comic culture, which D*Face routinely defaced and recaptioned to expose the anxiety beneath heroic and consumer imagery. The floating winged form ties the work to his ongoing personal iconography developed across his prints and StolenSpace-era output.
FAQ
What does this print depict?
It shows an appropriated Spider-Man crouched on a rooftop chimney holding a raised mallet, with a comic caption reading "WAIT! WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME? WHAT AM I DOING?" and one of D*Face's signature winged forms floating on the brick wall below.
How large is the edition?
The edition size is 90.
What is the medium?
It is a screen print, produced as a 2009 first edition.
Is it signed and numbered?
D*Face limited prints are typically hand-signed and numbered by the artist, though this should be confirmed for the individual example via its signature and edition number.
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, advertising and celebrity imagery, his winged-eyed "D*Dog" 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.