Calvin's Father Explains...

This has always been one of my favorite Calvin & Hobbes comic strip episodes (November 26, 1986). Calvin's father, a patent attorney, is famous for providing zany explanations to Calvin's inquiries about physics, astronomy, and other science subjects which he knows nothing about. In this comic, Calvin is riding in the car over a bridge with "Weight Limit 10 Tons" on it. He asks his father how the limits are determined. His father, whose name has never been divulged (neither first name nor last name), replies with a typically hilarious version of what goes into the weight limit calculation. Read on for explanations on where babies come from, why old photographs are in black and white even though much older paintings are in color, the sunset, how a light bulb works, and even Relativity, amongst other things. Bill Watterson was truly a genius.

This is an interesting write-up on Calvin & Hobbes creator Bill Watterson on the Fandom website. Calvin's father's appearance is a likeness of Watterson himself. Here is the Wikipedia entry for Calvin & Hobbes. The entire collection of Calvin & Hobbes comic strips are contained in The Complete Calvin and Hobbes [Box Set], which I own.

Here are a few other strips where Calvin's father bestows his wisdom: