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Supersized: Strange Tales from a Fast-Food Culture
Do you dare find out what's happening behind the counters of your neighborhood fast- food joint? Then grab a bucket and dive into one of the creepiest graphic novels of the year! Supersized: Strange Tales from a Fast-Food Culture is an entertaining - and at times gut-wrenching - series of stories focusing on America's ubiquitous and potentially destructive fast-food culture. A perfect companion to Super Size Me, the graphic novel will bridge the gaps between humor, fact, and heart, while peering behind the scenes of the fast food world.
88 pages, Hardcover
First published March 6, 2007
1 person is currently reading
91 people want to read
About the author
Morgan Spurlock
10 books25 followersMorgan Spurlock was an American documentary filmmaker best known for his documentary Super Size Me, in which he only ate McDonalds food for a month. He earned a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film.
He was married to vegan chef Alex Jamieson, who wrote an diet book inspired by the Detox diet he had to take after the McDonalds experiment. The couple divorced in 2011.
He was married to vegan chef Alex Jamieson, who wrote an diet book inspired by the Detox diet he had to take after the McDonalds experiment. The couple divorced in 2011.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
February 3, 2026
A 'behind the arches' look at disturbing stories connected to this iconic symbol of 'Americanism'. Done loosely in the format of an E.C. 50's horror book (before the CCA) the stories are 'caught' in a web and connected by a 'thread' concept. The stories are both separate and interconnected; sadly this is now an almost lost form of comic book narrative.
May 6, 2018
I just happened upon this while checking out Hoopla Digital and decided to try it, because I enjoyed Spurlock’s documentary and love books like Slaughterhouse and Fast Food Nation. Well, this surprised me in that it was a mix of horror and comedy, but with a very real PSA about the dangers of processed foods and modern factory farms. The stories are at once wildly entertaining, humorously drawn and horrifying. The character “Ronald McDopey” is drawn as an obese caricature version of the original caricature clown, Ronald McDonald. A fun read if you enjoy graphic books, or even for vegans who need some material to make them feel really, really ridiculously good about their choices. 5 stars!
June 30, 2011
Will keep you away from fast food joints forever.
November 28, 2018
While I enjoyed the completely disgusting and repulsive fast food horror stories, I found the book to be rather problematic in its portrayal of obesity. Fatness is portrayed as ugly, repulsive, and undesirable, and is conflated with poor health and stupidity.
Fast food and industrialized food are absolutely terrible and bad. But fatness isn't. For example, fat people with good cardiovascular health have better outcomes than skinny people with poor cardiovascular health.
The book also doesn't address the socioecomic factors that often drive people to fast food, and how difficult it is for many people to eat healthy food (for many reasons).
Narratively speaking, the fat gross Ronald Mcdonald character was cheesy and over the top, and I was honestly a little embarrassed about how cool it was trying to be and just wasn't.
This one isn't worth your time.
Fast food and industrialized food are absolutely terrible and bad. But fatness isn't. For example, fat people with good cardiovascular health have better outcomes than skinny people with poor cardiovascular health.
The book also doesn't address the socioecomic factors that often drive people to fast food, and how difficult it is for many people to eat healthy food (for many reasons).
Narratively speaking, the fat gross Ronald Mcdonald character was cheesy and over the top, and I was honestly a little embarrassed about how cool it was trying to be and just wasn't.
This one isn't worth your time.
December 22, 2011
All young adults should read this graphic novel. It makes a great companion piece to the movie. The art makes the Ronald McDonald-esque rather grotesque and repulsive looking, especially for a clown. But, the message in the book is just as powerful as the movie, with some different anecdotes about fast-food and how thoroughly disgustingly bad for your body it is (not to mention the gross out moments like animals parts in food or maggot-filled lettuce). The last story in the book is rather nasty, but strikes a powerful note with those who inundate their bodies with greasy burgers and fries.
June 22, 2013
All fast food chains are franchise of hell. the short novel sumarise the movie Super size me and as a bonus adds some disgusting urban legends about fast food. Rats are included too. The sad thing is that this book has point and it is sort of you should read.
September 21, 2020
Fast, Food. Those two words really go well together. Let's say we welcome the weight gain, sleepless nights caused by incredible amounts of sugar and caffeine, tiny toys to step on barefoot, extra pimples, extra box recycling.... is there any downside to eating fast?
I watched the Supersize documentaries (2nd one wasn't really informative) and was curious to see what valuable insight this one might bring. Needless to say, I am disappointed. Although Spurlock did mention the Jack in the box e.coli fiasco and McDonald worm salad, many other examples were not fast food related but restaurant related as a whole. Any waiter can spit in my food or serve me food that fell on the floor. That is the danger of eating outside your home.
Hopefully there won't be a part 2.
I watched the Supersize documentaries (2nd one wasn't really informative) and was curious to see what valuable insight this one might bring. Needless to say, I am disappointed. Although Spurlock did mention the Jack in the box e.coli fiasco and McDonald worm salad, many other examples were not fast food related but restaurant related as a whole. Any waiter can spit in my food or serve me food that fell on the floor. That is the danger of eating outside your home.
Hopefully there won't be a part 2.
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May 4, 2022"We've all so used to the convenience of fast food that we've lost connection to where our meals come from."
Alguna arcadita entró leyendo esto, ngl.
Alguna arcadita entró leyendo esto, ngl.
September 10, 2011
Supersized is a graphic novel tie-in with the documentary film “Super Size Me.” It panders a bit to the teen set by filling many pages with behind-the-kitchen-door “gross out” stories about what happens when foreign objects and bodily fluids make their way into mass-produced meals. Ok, icky, fair enough, but those stories don’t really sway me. The two times I’ve found strange objects in my food (a small rock and part of a Brillo pad), it’s happened at small, privately owned eateries.
What interests me, far more, is the reality of the industrial farming practices required to produce cheap burgers and chicken nuggets on a massive scale. A section titled “Your friend the factory farm” mocks the old meat industry classroom propaganda films. The creators don’t gloss over the fact of systemic cruelty at factory farms. The presentation is really outstanding:
Those in the animal welfare communities will recognize these illustrations as being copied from actual photos. The manner in which factory farming’s rule of cutting corners endangers human health is also depicted:
If that’s not convincing enough, we are reminded once again that we’re “all made of meat.” We learn from a young man who works in a funeral home that the corpse of an obese man in the crematorium smelled just like the inside of a McDs.
Hungry yet?
What interests me, far more, is the reality of the industrial farming practices required to produce cheap burgers and chicken nuggets on a massive scale. A section titled “Your friend the factory farm” mocks the old meat industry classroom propaganda films. The creators don’t gloss over the fact of systemic cruelty at factory farms. The presentation is really outstanding:
Those in the animal welfare communities will recognize these illustrations as being copied from actual photos. The manner in which factory farming’s rule of cutting corners endangers human health is also depicted:
If that’s not convincing enough, we are reminded once again that we’re “all made of meat.” We learn from a young man who works in a funeral home that the corpse of an obese man in the crematorium smelled just like the inside of a McDs.
Hungry yet?
January 6, 2013
I knew this book was based on the documentary Super Size Me, which I haven't seen, but I didn't realize that this is non-fiction! Part of the book chronicles Morgan Spurlock's 30-day experiment of eating fast food -- and only fast food -- three times a day. The other part includes facts about fast food and horror stories from restaurants, as told to Spurlock by former employees and customers.
These sound like urban legends, but the stories are presented as true. I don't eat at any of the fast food chains often, but after reading this, I'm determined not to give in to the occasional Sausage McMuffin with egg, no cheese, ever again, or McDonald's strawberry banana smoothies even if they are cheaper than Starbucks, or Wendy's chili, or the rare Taco Bell crunchy taco.
But wait! Don't think these stories are limited to fast food places that have a drive-thru (which I always thought wasn't spelled right). I won't name names because the book doesn't, but think places in which the servers wear lots of buttons on their suspenders. The featured customer wasn't thanking God after his meal, I'm sure.
These sound like urban legends, but the stories are presented as true. I don't eat at any of the fast food chains often, but after reading this, I'm determined not to give in to the occasional Sausage McMuffin with egg, no cheese, ever again, or McDonald's strawberry banana smoothies even if they are cheaper than Starbucks, or Wendy's chili, or the rare Taco Bell crunchy taco.
But wait! Don't think these stories are limited to fast food places that have a drive-thru (which I always thought wasn't spelled right). I won't name names because the book doesn't, but think places in which the servers wear lots of buttons on their suspenders. The featured customer wasn't thanking God after his meal, I'm sure.
January 6, 2021
I think this book achieved its purpose of scaring its readers into not eating fast food (or at least being more careful around it.) The book is funny yet informative and I truly enjoyed my time reading it. It brought on lessons about being mindful of what we eat and the reputations of some restaurants. I don't normally read graphic novels/comics, so I don't feel like I can really comment on whether the art was fantastic and original but I thought it was very well done and it added to the humor of the book. The only bad thing about this book is that it didn't really tell me anything new. Many people know that fast food is bad, the employees goof off and contaminate the food, and that animals are slaughtered. So I suppose if you don't know anything about the fast-food industry and the horrors behind the counter then this book may be useful for you. But if you do and you're well versed in how fast-food business operates, then you can definitely skip this one.
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July 2, 2011GN companion to the documentary Super Size Me; a selection of creepy and gross tales about the fast food industry.
May 10, 2020
Similar to the documentary Supersize Me, this book traces Mr. Spurlock's journey down unhealthy-lane from fit and healthy to posting dangerous blood numbers. Along the journey we are told various fast food horror stories.
If you've heard fast food horror stories before nothing will be really shocking, though it is impactful to see the stories rather than just hear them.
All in all this book isn't bad. A bit repetitive and one-dimensional, but a good idea and I'm glad Mr. Spurlock and Dark Horse made the book.
If you've heard fast food horror stories before nothing will be really shocking, though it is impactful to see the stories rather than just hear them.
All in all this book isn't bad. A bit repetitive and one-dimensional, but a good idea and I'm glad Mr. Spurlock and Dark Horse made the book.
August 13, 2021
I find it funny how I bought this book ten years ago and I only just sat down to read it. I enjoyed the backstories of other fast-food cultures from different people's perspectives, but because the book is so short, it's almost a retelling of the documentary Super Size Me. I'm very happy to finally read this book and hope to finally dust off other books on my shelf that have been waiting to be read for years!
November 4, 2019
A mix of tales from former fast food workers, and direct snippets from the “Super Size Me” movie. It was a decent read - but some of it seemed like urban myths, even if they weren’t. I felt like more could have been done with this, but I’m not sure what. It just read a lot like a Mad Magazine to me.
December 11, 2020
Just ugh. If you have seen super size me, then you dont need to read this. The only thing interesting, really, was to find out that even the grilled chicken is unhealthy as its I ejected with sugar and salts.. terrible.
June 16, 2017
Just some crazy stories about strange findings that are kinda disgusting but okay, but otherwise same details from the movie, Supersize Me but it's enjoyable.
March 20, 2020
Gross and terrifying.
May 5, 2023
It's so gross, triply so knowing it's all true tales.
July 17, 2024
Ronald Mcdonald is mem worthy here.
January 9, 2015
Though I like Morgan Spurlock's work alright, I mainly got this book for my wife, who's a big fan most especially of the Supersize Me film and book.
This book is an odd conglomeration of strange fast-food related stories with interludes taken straight from Supersize Me, all in comic form by a handful of artists (the most notable of whom is Sock Monkey creator Tony Millionaire ). The stories are presented by 'MC Supersized,' the Ronald McDonald caricature featured on the cover, in the tone of the old EC comics hosts. The tone fits, as most of the tales are basically horror stories for anyone who eats. There is more than a little scent of urban legend to these stories, which further reinforces the format choice as it suggests they all be taken with a grain of salt and in a sense of fun.
How much of the non-film writing is actually done by Spurlock is up for question, as Dark Horse authour/editor Jeremy Barlow is given co-credit while Spurlock's introduction claims these tales were collected by him following the film's release. Given the deft handling of the writing in its humourous vein, I'm guessing Barlow did most of the writing from Spurlock's collected stories.
The majority of the art is capably handled, but largely without flair, by Lucas Maragnon and Ron Chan with Lukas Ketner on duty for the Supersize Me segments. There's nothing notable to the art, but it's appealling and fluid for the most part. The movie segments look a bit rushed, suggesting that perhaps these were added after-the-fact to bulk up this volume (which Spurlock suggests a little too hopefully could just be the first in a series). The most interesting bits are the five 'trading card' pages, which offer some straight factual information about fast food and how it's engineered, presented like the text to classic zany-looking cards.
I have yet to read the Supersize Me companion-book, but suspect there's more of merit in those pages than in these. I managed to pick this up cheap recently, and don't feel like I was ripped off, but might if I'd paid the insulting retail of $13. For a slim volume of half-recycled material -- even in hardcover -- that price is almost as obscene as the crimes committed on the body public by the fast food industry.
This book is an odd conglomeration of strange fast-food related stories with interludes taken straight from Supersize Me, all in comic form by a handful of artists (the most notable of whom is Sock Monkey creator Tony Millionaire ). The stories are presented by 'MC Supersized,' the Ronald McDonald caricature featured on the cover, in the tone of the old EC comics hosts. The tone fits, as most of the tales are basically horror stories for anyone who eats. There is more than a little scent of urban legend to these stories, which further reinforces the format choice as it suggests they all be taken with a grain of salt and in a sense of fun.
How much of the non-film writing is actually done by Spurlock is up for question, as Dark Horse authour/editor Jeremy Barlow is given co-credit while Spurlock's introduction claims these tales were collected by him following the film's release. Given the deft handling of the writing in its humourous vein, I'm guessing Barlow did most of the writing from Spurlock's collected stories.
The majority of the art is capably handled, but largely without flair, by Lucas Maragnon and Ron Chan with Lukas Ketner on duty for the Supersize Me segments. There's nothing notable to the art, but it's appealling and fluid for the most part. The movie segments look a bit rushed, suggesting that perhaps these were added after-the-fact to bulk up this volume (which Spurlock suggests a little too hopefully could just be the first in a series). The most interesting bits are the five 'trading card' pages, which offer some straight factual information about fast food and how it's engineered, presented like the text to classic zany-looking cards.
I have yet to read the Supersize Me companion-book, but suspect there's more of merit in those pages than in these. I managed to pick this up cheap recently, and don't feel like I was ripped off, but might if I'd paid the insulting retail of $13. For a slim volume of half-recycled material -- even in hardcover -- that price is almost as obscene as the crimes committed on the body public by the fast food industry.
December 4, 2014
A lot of the art is ugly, most of the stories are lame, the narration is a bit confusing and jumbled, and I would never buy it as it's low on content and value. If you've seen the much, much better documentary "Super Size Me," you don't really need to see this -- unless you want to graphically refresh your mind regarding parts of the doc. Still, the overall message is a very positive, important and powerful one, and it's kind of neat seeing a cartoon Spurlock destroying himself on McDonalds and watching cartoon food rotting -- or not rotting, in the famous case of Mc Fries.
Not really worth your time, but it's a quick read, so not the worst thing you can do with your time either. Maybe a slightly higher rating for reluctant readers and perhaps good advertising for the great documentary and a nice, in writing-and-pictures refresher and reminder of the evils of crappy food.
True Rating: 2.4 Stars
Not really worth your time, but it's a quick read, so not the worst thing you can do with your time either. Maybe a slightly higher rating for reluctant readers and perhaps good advertising for the great documentary and a nice, in writing-and-pictures refresher and reminder of the evils of crappy food.
True Rating: 2.4 Stars
March 10, 2013
Um livro curioso, muito indicado a adolescentes pelo seu conteúdo chocante. São pequenas histórias de terror muito real da indústria de fast food, conjugadas com detalhes da odisseia de Spurlock em documentar os resultados de uma dieta baseada apenas em hamburguers conjugado com uma análise dos métodos massificados de produção de comida à escala industrial. Supersised funciona como livro panfletário, destinado a chocar e com isso fazer reflectir sobre os hábitos alimentares. A tentativa é boa, e a coragem de elogiar. Afinal, a indústria do fast food é um peso pesado dos combates mediáticos, numa estratégia onde tudo, da cor ao sabor da comida, é pensado ao milímetro para seduzir o consumidor. E fá-lo com grande sucesso, como se observa pelas epidemias de obesidade que assolam os países desenvolvidos.
September 9, 2014
Wow, Morgan Spurlock has really pimped out this ordeal! While that's not necessarily a bad thing, I didn't really care for this manifestation. Portions of the book recount Spurlock's 30 days of fast food feasting (complete with Morgan in comic form) and consultations with scientists that are featured in the movie. However, the main "narrator" is an obese Ronald McDonald who seeks to (patronizingly) gross out young readers with fast food horror stories. I think the scientific sections are convincing on their own and offer thought-provoking facts that will invite young adults to question eating at fast food and chain restaurants. The gross stories don't seem to match the rationality of the other bits and just...feel off. I'd be offended as a teenager reading the book that the publisher feels I have to gag in order to get the point.
January 19, 2015
Updated 1/19/15:
At first I thought this was a book for kids to learn about fast food, and how unhealthy it is. (For some reason I think I saw it on something as a book for kids to read...?) Well, this is NOT a book for kids, and neither is the documentary. I advise you be 14+ before watching the documentary, as there is foul language. I really enjoyed the documentary of Super Sized. I didn't care for it in comic-form, or the foul language in this book. The documentary was a lot more informative. I wouldn't read this book again, nor would I recommend it to anyone.
At first I thought this was a book for kids to learn about fast food, and how unhealthy it is. (For some reason I think I saw it on something as a book for kids to read...?) Well, this is NOT a book for kids, and neither is the documentary. I advise you be 14+ before watching the documentary, as there is foul language. I really enjoyed the documentary of Super Sized. I didn't care for it in comic-form, or the foul language in this book. The documentary was a lot more informative. I wouldn't read this book again, nor would I recommend it to anyone.
December 19, 2017
This book grossed me out of everything that could potentially happen in the local McDonald's. What was sickening was how there were various animals found in the food people made and how there was cow feces in the burger that disabled a woman forever. I was so sickened, I never want to eat at a fast food joint ever again! The burger test was also terrible because it showed how many preservatives go into the foods that fast food joints make, and how much sodium is in the foods as well. I would recommend this to everyone I know to tell them, "Don't eat that, it's bad for you."
June 7, 2025
The poor man’s version of the Supersize documentary which was probably already defunct at the time of publishing. More of a shock-u-tainment like some cheesy special your corniest teacher would make you watch. I think there are better books/media out there to express core concepts of nutrition, especially for (what I believe to be) this book’s young targeted audience.
May 25, 2011
It was supposed to gross you out and make you think twice about eating fast food...mission accomplished. I'm not sure the world really needed this is graphic novel format...but hey, if people want to read it I'm happy to provide it.
December 21, 2011
Good presentation of the film interspersed with gross front-line anecdotes and facts about the fast food industry. Nothing especially surprising if you've worked in food service, but this would be a good book to give kids to explain why you shouldn't eat it.
December 10, 2016
Some decent disgusting fast food stories, but fuck is the tone of this thing overbearing. I get that it's aimed for a younger audience, but even at its short length it was difficult getting through this thing just because of how obnoxious the presentation was.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews