Beyond the everyday hustle and bustle of modern society, a class of beings known as Enchanters have long since retreated from mortal affairs and sequestered themselves away in a magical realm outside of normal furry society.

Long-lived and powerful beyond the dreams of mundane furs, most Enchanters choose to live a leisurely existence that rarely impinges on Earth (except out of curiosity or just boredom). Not truly malicious, most have just long since written off mortals as boring and of no interest.

Most… but not all. A few young Enchanters, barely in their late 200s, have decided to check out the mortals for themselves, and quickly found that they liked this species that their parents always belittled. Using their magic to hide their extra arms, they've blended in and found love. This is their story.

Ally, Sheila and Reece are three Enchanters who have come to love and embrace the culture that their magical civilization shuns, and have taken it upon themselves to try to bridge the gap between both societies. However, it's too soon to share their true origin with the rest of the world—including their mortal husbands, who are just as ignorant of the Enchanters' existence as anyone else.

As if that isn't enough, the same magic that once created their race has also spawned other magic beings and magic users, many of which are malevolent and threaten mortals. Ally, Sheila and Reece have all 12 of their hands full fighting off threats to mortals. Their duties, origins and secret lives keep them from fully integrating into the world that they love, with true acceptance remaining for now at arm's length…

What's the story here?

At Arm's Length is a story about three sorceresses who divide their time between battling magical threats to the mortal world, and maintaining a stable home life.

So, it's like Charmed.

Actually, I never watched the show and know it only by reputation. I get a lot of comments arguing that the comic is inspired by the show, but really, any similarities are purely coincidental. And if you really need a TV-show analogy, the strip is much more like a cross between Bewitched and Charlie's Angels.

What are some of your influences?

A variety of different influences from different sources. I've been a fan of the online strip Jack for years, which certainly played a part in my desire to have a webcomic of my own. Oren the Otter's The Changing Workplace is also an influence. As well, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and other similar 1980s cartoons were a big part of my formative years, so I hope to replicate that mix of action and humor. Been a lifelong fan of Mad Magazine and Mystery Science Theater 3000, so I obviously have an affinity for satire and the absurd.

I notice that your characters have four arms.

Very observant of you.

I try. How come?

They're members of a magical race of beings called Enchanters, who have four arms as part of their normal physique. Enchanters were once mortals thousands of years ago, but were transformed by magical properties. The second set of arms was one of the effects of their metamorphosis.

Okay, that sort of explains the internal logic of the comic. Now why did you choose to include that aspect?

I'm one of those people who like the idea of multi-armed characters; to me, it felt natural to have them as the main characters. Multi-armed characters in other works are usually just gimmick creatures, for the most part, so I thought it would be more interesting to have them be the center of attention.

Is this some sort of fantasy planet ruled by animal people?

Um, yes and no. This is an alternate Earth with anthropomorphic animals instead of humans, but it is for all intents and purposes the same as the real Earth, hence all the references to real life products, locations, etc.

Do the girls have jobs?

That's a good question. As of right now, no. That may change later on.

Is any of this based on real life?

Yeah, I encounter four-armed sorceresses all the time…
Seriously: No. A lot of webcomics are slice-of-life narratives whose writers and artists use them as a medium to share their life experiences, with particular characters serving as Creator's Avatars, but At Arm's Length isn't one of them. While an occasional real life viewpoint or event may slip in, for the most part this is just escapist fantasy.

I notice that sometimes the art style changes. What's up with that?

Unlike many other webcomics, At Arm's Length is a joint effort with a writer and an artist. Because of this, it's sometimes hard to coordinate work schedules, especially when real life responsibilities come up. Therefore, we bring in guest artists from time to time, when the normal artist isn't available.

How come you only update three times a week? I want more!

We wish we could update four times a week. Heck, we wish we could update daily. But at this stage in our lives, it's just not feasible.

Here's my character information. Will you please put them in your comic?

Er, no thank you. If you have suggestions for background characters or such, that's one thing, but this is not a cameo service comic. If we do use other people's characters, it's because we've chosen to, and only after we approach them first.

Do you have an ending in mind?

To be perfectly frank, not really. I know a lot of comics are created with specific beginnings and endings in mind, but as of right now, I intend to run with this as long as I can. I certainly have a major story arc planned, but I could conceivably keep this up for years.