Papercutz
Papercutz is the all-ages graphic novel imprint of Mad Cave Studios, publishing licensed (Star Wars, Disney, Nickelodeon, Smurfs) and original graphic novels for kids, tweens, and teens via wholesale, digital marketplaces, and D2C.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Papercutz does
Papercutz is the dedicated all-ages graphic novel imprint of Mad Cave Studios, publishing trade paperback, hardcover, and digital comics targeted at children, tweens, and teens across genres including humor, action-adventure, mystery, and horror. Founded in 2005 and headquartered in New York, the imprint serves reluctant and gifted young readers through licensed adaptations of marquee franchises — Star Wars (Lucasfilm), Disney properties, Nickelodeon's The Loud House and The Casagrandes, The Smurfs, Miraculous, Winx Club, Asterix, Geronimo Stilton, Phineas and Ferb, and Flash Gordon — alongside a growing slate of creator-owned originals such as Meteor Mite, Nothing Can Stop… the Ape!, Xanar and Mr. Tuxedo, and The Stone of Shiro. It also operates the Disney Science in Comics educational line, Spanish-language editions, and hardcover archive collections (e.g., The Smurfs Archives).
The company monetizes primarily through one-time unit sales of physical and digital graphic novels priced between $3.00 and $39.99, plus licensing royalties from franchise adaptations. Distribution spans wholesale through Simon & Schuster (booksellers, educational, and library buyers) and Lunar Distribution (comic shops and specialty retailers), direct-to-consumer e-commerce via papercutz.com, and digital marketplaces including Amazon/Kindle, Comixology, Barnes & Noble, and GlobalComix. A proprietary Digital Reader platform enables free account registration for instant digital comic access, supported by a Papercutz Hub Ambassador Program and recurring convention presence at San Diego Comic-Con and ALA Annual Conference.
Papercutz operates as a private, sub-scale imprint within Mad Cave Studios — leadership comprises Founder Laura Chacón, with imprint-level direction from Mad Cave CEO/CCO Mark London and President Mark Irwin — and has no disclosed external funding rounds, revenue figures, or independent valuation. Customer concentration is structurally low on the buyer side, though the business model depends on a concentrated set of licensors (Disney, Lucasfilm, Nickelodeon, IMPS, Miraculous Corp) for catalog breadth and recurring volume.
Papercutz firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Papercutz
- Legal name
- Papercutz
- Website
- https://papercutz.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Papercutz is the all-ages graphic novel imprint of Mad Cave Studios, publishing licensed (Star Wars, Disney, Nickelodeon, Smurfs) and original graphic novels for kids, tweens, and teens via wholesale, digital marketplaces, and D2C.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Papercutz industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Children's Graphic Novel Publishing
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (513130), Book Publishers (51313)
- SIC
- Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Children’s Comics, Graphic Novels & Manga Publishing (MPAJAFAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Children’s Educational & Curriculum Publishing (MPAJAFAF)
Keywords
Where Papercutz is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Papercutz business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Direct Book Sales: Physical and digital graphic novel sales through papercutz.com e-commerce platform, with direct ordering available for retailers
- Wholesale Distribution: Books distributed to booksellers, educational and library buyers through Simon & Schuster; comic shops and specialty retailers through Lunar Distribution
- Digital Sales: Digital comics sold through third-party platforms including Amazon/Kindle, Comixology, and GlobalComix
- Licensing Royalties: Revenue from licensed adaptations of properties including Star Wars (Lucasfilm), Disney franchises, Nickelodeon's The Loud House and Casagrandes, The Smurfs, Miraculous, Winx Club, and Asterix
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard Trade Paperback editions |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Hardcover Collector editions |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Spanish Language editions |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Digital PDF editions |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Special Offers/Sales |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels8 records
Marketing channels7 records
Papercutz product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Papercutz publishes graphic novels for kids, tweens, and teens, including both original creator-owned titles and licensed adaptations of major franchises such as Star Wars, Disney, Nickelodeon, The Smurfs, Miraculous, Asterix, and Winx Club. The company distributes physical and digital books through its own e-commerce site, Simon & Schuster, Lunar Distribution, and digital platforms including Amazon/Kindle, Comixology, and GlobalComix. It also operates a free digital reader platform, an ambassador community program, and free educational materials for teachers and librarians.
Product overview
Papercutz is the kids' imprint of Mad Cave Studios, dedicated to publishing graphic novels for all ages. The company publishes a diverse portfolio of licensed comic series (including Star Wars, Disney, Nickelodeon properties like The Loud House and The Casagrandes, The Smurfs, Miraculous, Asterix, Winx Club, and Phineas and Ferb) alongside original graphic novel titles. Papercutz also offers original series like Meteor Mite, Nothing Can Stop... the Ape!, Xanar and Mr. Tuxedo, and Flash Gordon: The Girl from Infinity. The company operates an educational line (Disney Science in Comics), an archive series (The Smurfs Archives), and a digital reader platform for instant access to comics. Materials are distributed through Simon & Schuster to booksellers and Lunar Distribution to comic shops, with sales also through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and GlobalComix.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu—Danger in the Dark
Companies that use Papercutz
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Papercutz technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Papercutz partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Simon & SchustercoreSimon & Schuster distributes Papercutz books to booksellers, educational and library buyers, and mass market retailers through their SNS Distribution division.
- Lunar DistributioncoreLunar Distribution distributes Papercutz books to comic shops and specialty retailers.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Papercutz competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Oni Press: Independent graphic novel publisher with a strong all-ages and YA line (Scott Pilgrim, The Tea Dragon Society). It is a comparable mid-sized peer pursuing the same bookstore and comic shop channels as Papercutz.
- First Second Books: Macmillan-owned graphic novel publisher producing award-winning kids, middle-grade, and YA graphic novels. It competes head-to-head with Papercutz for library, bookstore, and educational adoption.
- Graphic Universe (Lerner Publishing): Library-focused graphic novel publisher producing educational and all-ages graphic novels for the school and library market. Comparable to Papercutz's educational guides and classroom materials push.
- Scholastic Graphix: Scholastic's graphic novel imprint focused on kids and middle-grade titles (Bone, Amulet, Smile). It is the most direct competitor to Papercutz in the all-ages graphic novel segment with strong school and library distribution.
- Amulet Books (Abrams): Abrams' children's imprint publishing middle-grade and YA graphic novels alongside prose. It competes with Papercutz for bookstore and library shelf space in the same age segments.
- BOOM! Studios / KaBOOM!: BOOM! Studios' all-ages KaBOOM! imprint publishes licensed kids graphic novels (Adventure Time, Garfield, Peanuts) alongside originals, mirroring Papercutz's mix of major IP adaptations and original titles for younger readers.
- Little, Brown Books for Young Readers: Hachette's children's imprint publishing middle-grade and YA graphic novels and prose. Comparable in target audience, distribution channels, and reliance on author-driven and licensed IP.
Broad incumbents
- Disney Publishing Worldwide: Disney's own publishing arm produces kids graphic novels (Frozen, Encanto, Zootopia), making it both a licensor to Papercutz and a competitor that could internalize Disney graphic novel rights at any time.
- Dark Horse Comics: Established publisher with a broad catalog spanning licensed franchises (Avatar: The Last Airbender, Disney), original graphic novels, and manga. Overlaps with Papercutz on licensed all-ages titles but at much greater scale.
- IDW Publishing: Publisher of licensed graphic novels (Star Wars Adventures, My Little Pony, Disney) for kids alongside a broader catalog. Direct overlap with Papercutz on multiple shared franchise adaptations.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Papercutz social profiles
Digital presencePapercutz financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Papercutz leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Papercutz funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Papercutz M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Papercutz
What does Papercutz do?
Papercutz publishes graphic novels for kids, tweens, and teens, including both original creator-owned titles and licensed adaptations of major franchises such as Star Wars, Disney, Nickelodeon, The Smurfs, Miraculous, Asterix, and Winx Club. The company distributes physical and digital books through its own e-commerce site, Simon & Schuster, Lunar Distribution, and digital platforms including Amazon/Kindle, Comixology, and GlobalComix. It also operates a free digital reader platform, an ambassador community program, and free educational materials for teachers and librarians.
Is Papercutz a public or private company?
Papercutz is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Papercutz founded?
Papercutz was founded in 2005. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Papercutz based?
Papercutz is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Papercutz make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Direct Book Sales are the primary driver. The others are wholesale Distribution, digital Sales and licensing Royalties.
Who are Papercutz's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Oni Press, First Second Books, Graphic Universe (Lerner Publishing), Scholastic Graphix, Amulet Books (Abrams), BOOM! Studios / KaBOOM! and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers. Broad incumbents are Disney Publishing Worldwide, Dark Horse Comics and IDW Publishing.
Does Papercutz have an API?
No public API is recorded for Papercutz.
What industry is Papercutz in?
Papercutz's product category is Children's Graphic Novel Publishing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAFAH, Children’s Comics, Graphic Novels & Manga Publishing, with a secondary code of MPAJAFAF, Children’s Educational & Curriculum Publishing. Its NAICS code is 513130 and its SIC code is 2731.