Poor Image: Of Corpse Hes Alive

Honestly, if I saw the current image outside of the page for Of Corpse He's Alive, I would not think it was an example of this trope. I think the fourth panel of this comic is a clearer example, and it's funny to boot.

What's wrong with the current? The suggestion is less clear.

This thread got some discussion in moderator chat. There was some disagreement, but eventually the thread was opened (by me or not I don't remember - my memory is stuck in "goldfish" mode for today).

The suggestion does look a bit more "dead" to me.

The current image is better than the suggestion.

I agree that the current image is better.

I do not like any of them, the current really doesn't seem this. There has got to be a good Weekend At Bernies image out there.

edited 19th Oct '14 12:13:49 PM by Memers

I actually don't think Weekend At Bernie's is a good idea for illustrating this trope. The thing is, they actually manage to fool people throughout the movie into thinking Bernie is alive, because he doesn't look obviously dead. The only real giveaway is his lack of autonomy, which is hard to portray in a single image. Even if you get a picture of him being held up by others or whatever, if you don't recognize it as a scene from that work, you're more likely to assume he's just drunk or something.

The current image has the same issue; it's not obvious that Flanders is dead. His glasses are broken and his hair's a bit messed up; that doesn't say "dead" to me. Like I said in my first post, if I wasn't seeing that picture as the page image for this trope, I would not think that Homer is trying to trick someone into thinking Flanders is alive. The lack of someone to fool hurts it, too.

My suggestion addresses both these issues; the guy is obviously dead courtesy of his bloody wounds, and the dialog makes it clear that this is an attempt to fool someone.

"A common variation involves a man who is unconscious or under a deep sleep rather than dead."

Drunk or unconscious is an acceptable variant of this trope, It was actually used in How I Met Your Mother in their Weekend At Barney's episode [1]◊[2]◊.

edited 19th Oct '14 1:06:38 PM by Memers

The page image does not stand alone. The page title makes "he isn't a corpse for sure" into kind of a Red Paint argument.

Is "the page image does not stand alone" the general consensus on TV Tropes? To be honest, I've seen a number of image suggestions on this forum that fail to gain traction for being unclear, when it would be obvious what they're portraying if taken in conjunction with the trope page. I've never pointed it out, though, because I assumed the general consensus was that it should stand on its own. If that's not the case, though, then the current image for Of Corpse He's Alive is fine, but I will remember that for other threads.

edited 19th Oct '14 1:21:28 PM by shigmiya64

I don't think the suggestion is better than the current, although it's not too bad.

You shouldn't have to read the description of the trope to understand the image, but reading the title of the trope is acceptable. It's mostly about assuming some kind of direction in the illustration, such as looking at the right detail, or not assuming it could be something else entirely.

edited 19th Oct '14 2:38:07 PM by AnotherDuck

From just reading the trope title I can already know what's going on in the image. Flanders is dead and Homer is trying to make him look alive. I honestly see no problem with it.

The suggestion meanwhile is not informative inasmuch as it outright spells out the trope to you, which I believe is something we should avoid.

I also prefer the current.

I definitely prefer the current to the suggestion.

Keep Until Better Image Suggested

edited 19th Oct '14 6:55:38 PM by SatoshiBakura

Also Keep Until Better Image Suggested.

While the current and the suggestion are good, I feel like we should stick with the current.

Though I may be able to offer a suggestion (from one of my favorite shows, again) that's about as good, IMO, as the current. It's a sleeping variant though.

edited 19th Oct '14 11:50:32 PM by PacificGreen

Current's excellent. Flanders is clearly dead (he's definitely taken some damage, but he's limp and his eyes are open, and for a bonus Homer is clearly speaking out the side of his mouth like a ventriloquist.

The comic suggestion is funny, but way too busy. Less is more in this case.

The consensus is very much in keep to Keep Until Better Image Suggested range, so I think this is good to close down. Tagging the page accordingly; locking up in the meantime.