I take that back. I think I do get the joke, but I don’t get the comic.
So, I’d say the joke is that “heavy metal” can refer to either music or chemistry.
What I don’t get is why is the man in the first panel upset at what she’s wearing? Doesn’t the context mean that he understands she’s going to a chemistry lab, and that she’s not properly attired for it? That would mean that he’s just trying to get her to wear proper safety equipment in a lab, so then the joke is just that they all know what they mean by heavy metal, and the audience doesn’t know?
Or are we inferring that she just told her presumably dad that she’s going to some “heavy metal” something or other without explaining it was the science version, just to make him mad? The way the dad is written in that case seems like there’s some ongoing problem. So, she’s always going to a science lab to learn, but just lying to her father? I don’t get it.
Its supposed to just be a play on the “bad girl goes off with her delinquent boyfriend to do drugs, listen to heavy metal, and have sex” trope, with the twist being heavy metal refers to doing science, subverting ecxpectations.
The original trope is a pretty boomer ‘kids bad’ joke that I haven’t seen for a long time, so not super surprising it’s confusing.
I don’t get the joke.
I take that back. I think I do get the joke, but I don’t get the comic.
So, I’d say the joke is that “heavy metal” can refer to either music or chemistry.
What I don’t get is why is the man in the first panel upset at what she’s wearing? Doesn’t the context mean that he understands she’s going to a chemistry lab, and that she’s not properly attired for it? That would mean that he’s just trying to get her to wear proper safety equipment in a lab, so then the joke is just that they all know what they mean by heavy metal, and the audience doesn’t know?
Or are we inferring that she just told her presumably dad that she’s going to some “heavy metal” something or other without explaining it was the science version, just to make him mad? The way the dad is written in that case seems like there’s some ongoing problem. So, she’s always going to a science lab to learn, but just lying to her father? I don’t get it.
He says “like that,” which is supposed to suggest attire for the sake of the joke mislead, but he is never actually referring to her clothing.
That does work grammatically, but what is he supposed to be mad about, then? Just the fact that she’s leaving the house?
Its supposed to just be a play on the “bad girl goes off with her delinquent boyfriend to do drugs, listen to heavy metal, and have sex” trope, with the twist being heavy metal refers to doing science, subverting ecxpectations.
The original trope is a pretty boomer ‘kids bad’ joke that I haven’t seen for a long time, so not super surprising it’s confusing.