Super Size Me
Morgan Spurlock, of Super Size Me fame, has come to Dark Horse to expand on his work in that famous fast food film.
Can you handle the truth of a burger and fries culture?
Then read on.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DARK HORSE GETS SUPERSIZED
JLUY 23, SAN DIEGO, CA – Five years ago, the entire fast food industry was changed by a single movie. Super Size Me awakened consumers to the dangerous consequences of a fast food diet, irreparably shifting the consciousness of a nation. Independent filmmaker Morgan Spurlock became an international success as audiences across the world were shocked by the dramatic toll the thirty-day experiment took on his body.
Today, Dark Horse is proud to collaborate with Warrior Poets and Morgan Spurlock on an original graphic novel companion to the Academy Award–nominated film. Supersized: Strange Tales from a Fast Food Culture expands on some of the bizarre stories not featured in the original film. Written by Morgan Spurlock, and scripted and drawn by a variety of creators, the graphic novel is set for a spring 2010 release in conjunction with the anniversary of the original film.
Championing proper nutrition, Supersized: Strange Tales from a Fast Food Culture will act both as an entertaining—and at times gut-wrenching—series of stories and as an educational mirror for society to examine its potentially destructive culture. A perfect companion to Super Size Me, but also a powerful, standalone tool for anyone looking to expand their knowledge of healthy eating habits, the graphic novel will bridge the gaps between humor, fact, and heart, while peering behind-the-scenes of the fast food world.
“Everyone here at Dark Horse is excited to be working with Morgan and Warrior Poets,” stated Dark Horse Senior Editor Dave Land (Achewood, Indiana Jones, Tony Millionaire’s Sock Monkey), who will be overseeing production on the upcoming graphic novel. “We’re all looking forward to what will be both an informative and entertaining comic.”
Supersized is the first planned released of a potential ongoing program between Dark Horse, Morgan Spurlock, and his New York–based Warrior Poets, who look to create original graphic novels that tie into Spurlock’s future films.
“I couldn’t imagine a better partner than Dark Horse Comics to help us make the jump into the world of graphic novels,” said Morgan Spurlock. “I’m thrilled that Dark Horse sees the intrinsic value of nonfiction stories, and I’m incredibly excited that we have such a fantastic partner to help expand the audience and reach of our projects. Being the geek that I am, I can honestly say this is a dream come true.”
About Warrior Poets
Warrior Poets began operations in the first quarter of January 2005 as a full-service motion picture, television, and web production company. Founded by Academy Award–nominated filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, the company focuses on socially relevant and issue-driven programming. In 2005, Warrior Poets began production on their first network television show, the critically acclaimed FX series 30 Days. The show, which completed its third season for the network in 2008, has garnered awards from such esteemed groups as the Sargent Shriver Center for Poverty Law, the Gay Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), the Muslim Public Affairs Council, and the Center for a Commercial Free Childhood.
In the spring of 2006, Warrior Poets joined forces with Arts Alliance America to create a distribution partnership. The titles, released under the banner “Morgan Spurlock Presents,” have been released theatrically, on television, on DVD, and online. Since its inception, seven films have been distributed, including the award-winning films Chalk, Confessions of a Superhero, and Czech Dream. In May of 2008, the label’s first full coproduction, The Third Wave, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. This year, Warrior Poets and Spurlock completed production on a television pilot for Fox TV Studios as well as a chapter for the feature adaptation of the best-selling book Freakonomics.
About Morgan Spurlock
Spurlock’s first production, Super Size Me (Samuel Goldwyn Films, 2004), played to audiences in more than seventy-five territories and grossed more than twenty-eight million dollars. The film won Spurlock Best Directing honors at the Sundance and Edinburgh film festivals, as well as the inaugural Writers Guild of America documentary screenplay award and an Academy Award nomination for best feature documentary. The film was named to more than thirty-five top-ten lists that year and is currently the eighth-highest-grossing documentary of all time.
His second feature documentary, Where in the World Is Osama bin Laden? (Weinstein Company, 2008), premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and has opened to critical acclaim worldwide. In June of 2008, it was named one of the most important films of the year by the Islamic Society of North America. Spurlock was most recently tapped to produce and direct the Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special in 3-D on Ice for Fox. The special, which will honor the longest-running series in the history of television, will air in January.
About Dark Horse Comics
Since 1986, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent like Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Neil Gaiman, Gerard Way, and comics legend Will Eisner, Dark Horse has developed such successful characters as the Mask, Timecop, and SpyBoy.
Additionally, their highly successful line of comics and products based on popular properties includes Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Aliens, Conan, Emily the Strange, Tim Burton, Trigun, and Serenity. Today, Dark Horse Comics is the third-largest comic-book publisher in the U.S. and is recognized as one of the world’s leading publishers of licensed comics material.