George Vs Dragon Try To Build A Fence

A fence sounds like a sensible solution to a medieval problem. Keep the dragon on one side, keep George on the other, and perhaps everyone can enjoy a quiet afternoon without singed trousers or heroic shouting.

In George vs Dragon, sensible plans are usually just elaborate invitations to chaos. A construction project gives both characters tools, responsibilities, and plenty of opportunities to misunderstand the basic purpose of a boundary.

The result is less about building a reliable barrier and more about watching two stubborn personalities turn carpentry into a full-scale comic battle. Every plank becomes evidence. Every missing nail becomes sabotage. Every completed section creates a new place for the dragon to stand dramatically.

Why A Fence Is A Perfect Battlefield

George sees the fence as a practical defence. He wants a straight line, a sturdy gate, and enough height to stop a large, scaly nuisance from wandering into his day. His approach involves measuring, planning, and repeatedly explaining the plan to someone who is breathing smoke beside him.

The dragon has a different interpretation. To him, a fence is a climbing frame, a scratching post, a drying rack, and possibly a low-budget siege engine. He may agree to help, but his definition of “help” includes leaning on freshly placed posts and testing the wood with his teeth.

That contrast creates the central joke. George is trying to control the situation through organisation, while the dragon treats organisation as a challenge that deserves immediate destruction.

The Materials Are Already A Joke

A medieval fence offers plenty of visual comedy. The posts are too short, the boards are uneven, and the rope seems to have been borrowed from a ship that sank before the work began. George can spend a whole strip assembling one respectable section, only to discover that the dragon has used the remaining timber to make a tiny stage for himself.

The tools add another layer of trouble. A hammer is dangerous in George’s hands because he is impatient, and dangerous near the dragon because it makes an excellent percussion instrument. A shovel can dig a post hole, uncover treasure, or launch a clod of mud directly into somebody’s face.

For cartoonists, these ordinary objects are valuable because each one has a second use. A fence panel can become a shield. A gate can become a catapult. A measuring tape can wrap around a dragon’s snout and briefly create the world’s least effective muzzle.

The dragon’s body is part of the equipment problem, too. A broad belly, heavy tail, and oversized wings make every narrow construction site unusable. Anyone studying how to make a creature look both fearsome and ridiculous can find useful ideas in this dad-bod dragon guide.

What Each Side Thinks It Is Building

George’s version of the project is a defensive perimeter. The dragon’s version is an interactive sculpture. Their competing visions might look something like this:

Part of the project	George’s plan	Dragon’s interpretation
Fence posts	Deep, evenly spaced supports	Convenient toothpicks
Fence panels	A solid barrier	Portable wings for dramatic entrances
Gate	A secure access point	A door that should remain open
Warning sign	Clear instructions	A menu, especially if painted red
Final inspection	Quiet approval	An opportunity to knock everything down

The comedy becomes sharper when both characters believe they are being helpful. George may ask the dragon to hold a post steady, only to find that the dragon has carried it several fields away. The dragon may proudly present a “stronger design” made from three barrels, a cart, and a stolen flag.

A good strip can make the reader understand each viewpoint instantly. George’s clenched expression says that the instructions were clear. The dragon’s grin says that the instructions were improved.

The Rules Collapse Quickly

Fence-building requires cooperation, which is precisely what George and the dragon cannot provide for long. George insists on taking turns with the hammer. The dragon agrees, then uses one tap to drive the entire post into the ground and several nearby objects into the air.

Even the boundary itself can become debatable. George wants the fence around the castle. The dragon moves it around the dragon. Then George discovers that the dragon has built a second fence, trapping them both inside a muddy enclosure with no gate at all.

The final panel should reward the escalating logic. Perhaps the fence stands perfectly, but George is on the wrong side. Perhaps the dragon has painted it to look like an open meadow and is delighted that George keeps walking into it. Or perhaps the whole structure is magnificent until a goat approaches and opens the gate with one casual nudge.

This kind of medieval humour works because the grand setting promises epic stakes while the actual conflict is gloriously petty. A dragon may be capable of burning a village, yet the strip focuses on whether he has put the hinges on backwards.

A Better Fence-Building Method

If George wants the project to succeed, he needs a plan that accounts for dragon behaviour rather than pretending the dragon is an unusually large assistant. Clear jobs, durable materials, and a strict ban on “creative improvements” would be a reasonable starting point.

The safest process would also keep the dragon away from the wet paint, the tool shed, and any section described as “almost finished.” These are the places where his curiosity becomes most destructive.

• Give George the measuring tape and the dragon the job of carrying empty baskets.
• Use stone posts instead of timber wherever possible.
• Build the gate first, because someone will inevitably end up on the wrong side.
• Paint the warning signs with pictures rather than words.
• Keep one spare fence panel hidden from both of them.

A further complication is that George may secretly enjoy the argument. Without the dragon, the work would be dull, orderly, and finished before the punchline. The failed fence gives him a reason to keep explaining, protesting, and trying one more clever solution.

That rhythm suits Andy Fanton’s wider creative world, where a simple premise can turn into a tightly staged visual gag. The mix of comic timing, expressive characters, and written punchlines can be explored through his written work, alongside the drawings and strips that give the characters their distinctive energy.

George versus the dragon works best when neither side truly wins. The fence may survive for a moment, but the argument continues over its height, its colour, and whether a dragon-shaped hole counts as damage. Their construction project becomes another excuse for the pair to collide, compete, and accidentally create something funnier than the original plan.

Explore more of Andy Fanton’s comics, drawings, television projects, and medieval mischief at Andy Fanton Dot Com, and follow George and the dragon wherever their next disastrously practical idea takes them.