Top 10 Covers of Inside Karate Magazine: #7: Mark Glazier

In the early 1980s, there existed a magazine called Kick Illustrated. It was the world's premier source for photos of kicks. But its editors weren't satisfied. They dared to ask the question, "What if?" What if there was a magazine that pulled back the veil not just on kicks, but on punches. On grapples. On open-fist palm strikes. On throat chops. And so was Inside Karate magazine born.

Inside Karate, or "Karate Inside Karate," as its own covers seem to call it, combined all the over-earnest badassery of late-20th century martial arts with the zazzy, breezy coverlines of a city magazine. That combination, much like a combination of strikes followed by a triangle choke, turned Inside Karate into this world's preeminent printed publication and earned it a stranglehold on the martial arts community's reading circles until its untimely demise in 1999. Did readership really dwindle? Or was the new century simply unprepared to coexist with such a kickass periodical?

Don't be fooled by copycats like Professional Karate or Karate Illustrated. They have neither the high-quality karate action photography nor the deep-diving karate action features to compete with the marketplace leader. Join us as we count down the best magazine covers in karate action history.

Finally, Inside Karate stops tip-toeing around addressing the ultimate threat to any karate fighter: guns. (Or "gun defenses," as their confused phrasing seems to imply.) What do you do when your opponent pulls a firearm? Is your chi bad enough to stop a bullet? Find out inside!

"Ranking Systems: What do they Really Mean?" In other words, this issue of Inside Karate has a cover feature that could have been called "How to read numbers."

And, of course, Mark Glazier. Who is he? Judging by this cover, he's a suburban dad who saw some black teens at the mall last weekend and got scared. Now he walks the streets at night, shoeless, in his grey jeans and homemade karate top, jump-punching any feathered-mulleted fool to wander within striking distance. A true success story!

We're also crossing our fingers that Mark Glazier is the secret identity of masked karate pro wrestler Glacier.

Hopefully next issue will reveal the secret behind the Mark Glazier Cryonic Kick!


Think you can do better? Study the cover archive here and show us your moves!