About

"Rip and Tear" is a memorable quote uttered by the protagonist DoomGuy while under the effects of a berserk powerup in the 1996 Doom comic book titled Knee Deep in the Dead, which has been widely mocked online for its bizarre storyline and absurd dialogue.

Origin

In 1996, a comic book based on the video game Doom titled Knee Deep in the Dead^[5] was released by Id Software as a gift for attendees at a gaming convention (shown below). The Doom comic was drawn by Tom Grindberg, an artist who has worked for both Marvel and DC Comics as well as 2000AD, and written by Steve Behling and Michael Stewart.

In the comic, the protagonist DoomGuy is introduced under the effects of a berserk powerup, granting him invincibility and super strength to destroy enemies with his bare hands. When discovering a cyber demon, DoomGuy announces he will "rip and tear" its "huge guts" before the effects of the powerup wear off (shown below).

Spread

On March 26th, 2005, a page for the Doom comic was created on the Doom Wiki.^[6] On September 20th, YTMND user leileilol submitted a page from the comic titled "Rip and Tear", accompanied by a dramatic reading heard in the background. On June 8th, 2007, YouTuber BakNBlack uploaded a narrated slideshow of the comic, garnering upwards of 265,000 views and 1,000 comments (shown below).

In June 2008, a page for "Rip and Tear" was created on the 1d4chan Wiki.^[4] On June 14th, 2010, BakNBlack's slideshow video was submitted to /r/gaming.^[1] On January 5th, 2011, an Ebay ^[3] listing for the Doom: Knee Deep in the Dead sold for $3,995.95. On March 24th, 2014, YouTuber Linkara-AtopTheFourthWall posted a review of the Doom comic (shown below).

On September 9th, 2014, an animated GIF of the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic character Pinkie Pie reenacting the "rip and tear" scene was submitted to /r/mylittlepony^[2] (shown below).

2016 Doom Reboot

On May 13th, 2016, a reboot of the Doom series was released, which including an opening sequence in which a voice over narrator references the "rip and tear" line (shown below). Following the sequence, the first level of the game titled "Rip & Tear" is launched.

"They are rage, brutal, without mercy. But you. You will be worse. Rip and tear, until it is done."

Search Interest

External References