So should Mazdas actually say "Phoom, phoom, phoom"?

I can't let it go anymore. The caption in today's strip is just too much. "High-schooler Hekkie's grades are not so hot...In fact, they are, like, we mean awful..."

First off, there should, at least, be a comma between "mean" and "awful." Second, I'm assuming that this is supposed to mimic how teenagers talk. Only, why? We know that the strip isn't written by a teenager. Seriously, Scaduto, you don't need to fill up all that captioning area. White space isn't necessarily wasted space!

As for the second panel..."out-I.Q.s Einstein"? Really? Because I'm pretty sure that you don't need to be a genius to pass the driver's license exam, even if it is, as you claim, "very tough." (Which...not so much, in my experience.) And really? 82 questions? Dang. Of course, I got my license in Montana, so who knows.

I'm kind of disturbed by the fact that Hekkie and his dad are wearing matching outfits. Maybe it was twins day?

Also amusing is that the "speeding" car in Hekkie's daydream is making a "Phooom" noise. Not "Zoom." "Phooom."

To finally direct my attention to the actual point of the strip, I'm not sure why the dad is surprised that his kid does well on a test on something that interests him and directly affects his life. There are lots of kids out there like that. If I were the kid's parents, he possibly wouldn't be allowed to get his license (or drive much, or something) until he pulled his grades up. But that's not the point here.