Review: SAPHIE THE ONE-EYED CAT is a super sweet print adaptation

Saphie the One-Eyed Cat, Vol. 1

Creator: Joanna Ho (Joho)
Publisher/Platform: Graphix (Physical); WEBTOON (Digital)
Publication Date: February 4, 2025 (Physical); May 13, 2016 (Digital)
Rating: All Ages
Genre: Slice-of-Life

The first volume of Graphix’s print adaptation of Saphie the One-Eyed Cat by Joho collects some of the “greatest hits” from its first year of publication, including the story behind how Joho adopted Saphie and a humorous take on how Saphie, her brothers Simba and Sahn, and her little sister Sol were created. All cats start as bread loaves, of course, but some turn out just right and others get a little sooty in the baking process. At any rate, all cats are beautiful, which Joho reminds us of in Saphie.

This slice-of-life Webtoon series ran from 2016-2021 and garnered more than 650 thousand subscribers and over 150 million views. The print version from Graphix is an abridged collection of select episodes from the first 50 in the series, including some of Saphie’s best moments. Each episode is broken up into a chapter of the print volume starting with “In the Beginning” and ending with “Once Upon a Dinner.”

The structure works well for print and offers a perfect on-ramp for new readers who may encounter Saphie for the first time at their local bookstore. Panels are more tightly arranged but big, emotional moments still have plenty of breathing room. Joho’s well-executed onomatopoeias shine in print, especially alongside these non-traditional layouts.

Saphie‘s content and execution work so beautifully to tell big stories about ostensibly small moments. Cats are dramatic, perhaps none more so than the highly food-motivated Saphie, and Joho does an excellent job both capturing how cats behave and offering potential reasoning behind their actions.

Although the humans in Saphie the One-Eyed Cat play second fiddle to Saphie, Simba, Sahn, and Sol, their presence offers an important perspective on each cat, their preferences, their behavior patterns, and their needs. It’s clear Joho has spent a lot of time observing her family, their cats, and their interactions, and it pays off big time in this comic. Readers with cats will particularly relate to the absurdity here.

Appropriate for readers of any age, Saphie the One-Eyed Cat, Vol. 1 is as delightful as the vertical-scroll format and makes an excellent addition to the growing catalog at Graphix.

Saphie the One-Eyed Cat, Vol. 1 will be available in hardcover for $24.99 and in paperback for $12.99, everywhere books are sold, on February 4, 2025. Pre-orders are available now.