[1] Speakeasy published 120 issues between 1979 and 1991, and won the Eagle Award for Favourite Specialist Comics Publication four times in five years, from 1986 to 1990.

Speakeasy began as a mimeographed fanzine printed on A4 paper, published by Richard Ashford beginning in August 1979.

By issue #35 (Nov. 1983) Speakeasy had settled on a permanent logo (which lasted through 1986) and a tagline, "All the latest UK/US comics news".

Issue #43 (Oct. 1984) featured another Moore written- and drawn-strip, created under the name "Curt Vile", called Nutters Ruin,[4] which was a previously unsold strip originally produced in 1979.

In 1986[5] Ashford, Bambos, Hansom, and Cefn Ridout formed Acme Press as a publishing cooperative to continue producing Speakeasy.

John Brown Publishing acquired Speakeasy from Acme Press in late 1989; with issue #106 (Feb. 1990) Rian Hughes redesigned the magazine.

's cancellation there was some talk of Speakeasy being revived as a free media guide distributed in comic shops and music stores,[15] but it does not appear that ever happened.