Joe Strike


 * Furry Nation redirects here. For the CNN episode 'Furry Nation' see This Is Life with Lisa Ling.

Joe Strike, also known as Professor Myron J. Comus (or just Comus) and Komos (born April 22nd 1950), is a writer and artist who is a longtime participant in furry fandom,. He grew up in Brooklyn and remains a resident of New York, USA.

Fandom involvement
Like many furs, Joe had a lifelong interest in anthropomorphic animals, primarily cultivated by exposure to Warner Bros. Looney Tunes, Disney animation and the "funny animal" comic books he read in his parents' Brooklyn NY candy store. He discovered furry fandom in 1988, not long after the fandom's birth when he received an unsolicited invitation to a "furry party" being held at Philadelphia's Philcon science fiction convention.

Joe is a former contributor to Rowrbrazzle, and his anthropomorphic art continues to appear on the website Fur Affinity. As a freelance writer, he reports on animated TV shows and movies for the New York Daily News and the entertainment industry website Animation World Network.

"Furry Nation"
Joe is the author of Furry Nation, a non-fiction book tracing the birth and growth of furry fandom and its relationship to the various forms of anthropomorphic representation that have been part of civilization throughout human history.

In March 2015 he secured a literary agent to seek a publisher for the book; in June 2016 he signed a contract with Cleis Press, who published the book in October 2017.

Furry Nation has received praise from Uncle Kage and Boozy Barrister, among others. Joe gave several interviews to promote the book, such as in the December 2017 issue (#63) of Britain's Huck magazine. Furry Nation won Best Non-Fiction at the 2017 Ursa Major Awards.

The Incredible Hare
Joe has completed a children's novel, 'The Incredible Hare'. His 2013 Kickstarter campaign to raise funds to self-publish was unsuccessful, but he is seeking a literary agent to present his book to mainstream publishers.

The Incredible Hare was originally conceived of as a children's TV series in the mold of Sid and Marty Krofft's various TV shows. Unable to interest TV networks or production companies in the project, Joe decided to write the character's origin story as a children's novel targeted to kids in the 8-to-12 age range. The novel tells the story of shy teenaged lab assistant Harold Hopper. The victim of an unauthorized lab experiment gone wrong, Harold is now subject to unpredictable and unwanted transformations into "Harry," an anthropomorphic, human-sized rabbit - an irrepressible trickster and mischief-maker. Thanks to his live-on-TV rescue of Harold's boss Professor Burnside from a hazardous bungee jump on the reality series America's Most Dangerous Amateur Stunts, Harry quickly becomes a world-wide celebrity.

Thanks to his rescue, the self-important Burnside now sees himself as Harry's 'confidant and partner in adventure,' a role already taken by Harold's adventurous kid sister Cindy. Meanwhile, Nicky Nesbitt, Stunt's venal host, sets out to exploit Harry's fame - but Harry has other ideas...

Inspiration
Joe describes The Incredible Hare as "The Nutty Professor meets Bugs Bunny by way of The Incredible Hulk." While those three fictional characters are the basis of the book's premise, the inspiration for the concept originated with an advertising poster for Rabbit Test, a 1978 movie starring Billy Crystal. The poster's rabbit-themed parodies of then-contemporary movies sparked the idea of a similar parody of The Incredible Hulk TV series.

"Komos"
Originally uninterested in fursuiting, Joe grew intrigued with the possibility of commissioning a suit of his anthropomorphic komodo dragon character "Komos", who debuted in 2008 (see below). Eventually, in early 2016, he commissioned fursuit builder Artslave to construct the suit, which he first wore to the Anthrocon convention in June/July of that year.

Komos is the co-star of Komos & Goldie, an ongoing superhero comic co-created and written by Joe and British fur Oliver Coombes, and drawn by Karno. It can be read online, and printed copies have been distributed at conventions Joe attends, including Anthrocon 2017 and Fur the 'More 2018.

The fursuited Komos appears on the cover of Huck magazine #63, published in December 2017.

"Circe's Funhouse"
Joe first became fascinated by animal transformation as a child, watching Disney films like The Shaggy Dog and The Sword in the Stone, and by learning about Circe [3] and Greek Mythology in elementary school. Inspired by the concept he began drawing transformation pictures with a common setting and theme: "Circe's Funhouse," an enchanted amusement park created by Circe where the attractions transform visitors into different animals.

In 1999 Joe began posting Funhouse art online at http://www.circesfunhouse.com under the pen name "Comus." From 1999 to 2007 the Funhouse was hosted first by TransFur and then by TF Central. In late 2007 TF Central ceased hosting the site without explanation. The Funhouse came back online at the end of 2009 but from 2009-on Joe has been posting both his Funhouse and general furry art exclusively at Fur Affinity.

As well as Circe herself, recurring Funhouse characters include Saurina, a lascivious female alligator granted sapience by Circe's magic, and Mr. Airwick, an anthropomorphic skunk (inspired by Pepe Le Pew) who was formerly a gay human. Circe has endowed them all with their own transformative powers. In 2008 Joe began posting pictures of a new character, Komos, a sinister and superpowered anthropomorphic komodo dragon who undertakes various missions on behalf of his mistress.