The Deadliest Man Alive! (Until 1975)

I just read a fascinating article about John Keehan a/k/a "Count Dante," the legendary martial arts guy who used to have those scary ads in comic books offering kids everywhere "the world's deadliest fighting secrets."

IN THE 60S and 70s John Keehan was one of the most notorious figures in American martial arts. He ran dojos and had sidelines in salons and porn shops. He took a pet lion cub for strolls by Lake Michigan. He trained minorities and caught flack for it, and after one fight—part of Chicago’s “dojo wars” of the 60s and 70s—he was implicated in the death of one of his students. He was also a fierce self-promoter: comic-book readers might know him best as Count Dante, the persona Keehan used to sell membership in his Black Dragon Fighting Society, as well as a pamphlet, World’s Deadliest Fighting Secrets, that promised to teach readers how to maim, disfigure, and kill.

It's a really bizarre and amazing story. Check it out.