Speed was a weekly British comics periodical published by Fleetway Publications (a division of IPC Magazines) from 23 February to 25 October 1980. A boys' adventure comic, the title lasted for 31 editions before being merged with another Fleetway title, Tiger.
Creation
The concept was originated by Fleetway's Bob Paynter, who felt that a boys' anthology comic centred around the theme of speed was not covered by the company's existing output. Editor Barrie Tomlinson was assigned to develop the title, having previously modernised Tiger and launched Roy of the Rovers as a spin-off. Tomlinson devised the outlines of the eight launch features himself before refining them with the artists.
Content
The comic featured a mix of serialised strips unified by high-velocity themes, including sports, vehicular action, science fiction, war stories, and daredevil stunts. The launch line-up included:
- "Death Wish" – Formula One driver Blake Edmonds, horribly disfigured in a crash, dons a mask and becomes a nihilistic daredevil for hire, hoping to find a stunt that will kill him. Written by Barrie Tomlinson and drawn by Vanyo (Spanish brothers Eduardo and Vicente Vano Ibarra), this became the title's most popular feature and continued in Tiger and later the revived Eagle until 1988.
- "The Fastest Footballer on Earth!" – The story of Mickey "Flash" Jordan, a superhumanly fast teenager who transforms the fortunes of Fourth Division football club Mudport Town.
- "Topps on Two Wheels" – The adventures of American stunt motorcyclist Eddie Topps.
- "Speedboy" – Schoolboy Timothy Barlow's obsession with breaking world records.
- "The £1,000,000 Challenge" – Wealthy, wheelchair-using thrill-seeker Cuthbert "Bullet" Slick challenges the public for fresh stunts, with readers invited to submit ideas.
- "Journey to the Stars" – A science fiction strip drawn by Ron Turner about a family stranded in deep space.
- "Quick on the Draw" – A Western about gunfighter Luke Cassidy training orphaned Johnny Storm.
- "Baker's Half-Dozen" – A World War II North Africa campaign story drawn by Mike Western.
Factual features covered real-life speed subjects such as Mario Andretti, Concorde, Stirling Moss, Barry Sheene, and the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle.
Publishing history
The first issue was dated 23 February 1980 and included a cover-mounted plastic glider ("Speed Plane") as a free gift. Early issues also included a "Speed Slider" (a statistics card) and a pair of board games. A six-week hiatus caused by a 1980 journalist strike was later cited by Tomlinson as damaging to sales. The 22 August 1980 issue saw a reconfiguration of contents—"Journey to the Stars" and "Quick on the Draw" were dropped, replaced by "Winner!" (a Formula One comeback story), "Hit and Run" (a fighter pilot strip), and "Supersmith" (a light-hearted superhero feature). Despite this, the title was folded into Tiger after 31 issues, with the merger announced to readers in the 25 October 1980 edition.
Legacy
Only "Death Wish" and "Topps on Two Wheels" were carried over into Tiger. The combined title retained the Tiger and Speed name until 12 December 1981. Two Speed Annuals were produced (1981 and 1982), along with a Speed Summer Special (1980). Collected editions of selected strips have been published by Hibernia Comics (2014) and Rebellion Developments (2019).
