The story
Originating from an inaccurate interpretation of verses attributed to Julius Caesar: “Lenibus atque utinam scriptis adiuncta foret vis, Comica ut aequato virtus polleret honore Cum Graecis …”. An erroneous interpunction lead to mistaking cōmica as tied to vīs rather than to virtūs.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.