It takes a long time and a lot of hard work to be an overnight success. While Batman/Superman: World's Finest artist Dan Mora might seem like he has come out of nowhere to become one of DC's core superhero artists, his path to here has been long and he's had to make many sacrifices to have what he calls, "the impossible dream."

Growing up in his native Costa Rica, Dan Mora didn't know making comics for a living was actually a thing. But now in 2022, he's doing it - very successfully - and feeling himself to be a role model for other Latin American artists who like him, share in his love of comic books.

Mora is one of the most interesting and talented new voices in American superhero comic books, so what better reason to have a conversation with him? What we found was a very grateful family man who believes in hard work, and realizes you can't wait for your dreams to come true.

Popverse: Dan, let's start this out easy - what are you working on today?

Dan Mora: Hi Chris, thanks for taking the time to talk with me. I'm currently simultaneously working on Once & Future for BOOM! Studios and Batman/Superman: World's Finest for DC.

That's a lot of work, Dan! What's a normal workday/work week like for you to do this consistently at such a high level?

Yeah, it is a lot of work. I usually get up very early to work, then take my son to school, then go back to work until late afternoon. Then I'll take a break with my family, and go back to work at night.

I don't sleep as much as I'd like, but I'm working on it.

Is there something you learned along the way that's helped make this work for you, while also being a husband and a father?

I learned that I need to have a strong discipline, and also when to let go a page and not spend more time than scheduled on each project. It's not always possible, but I try.

Years before you became a Batman artist for DC, you said he was one of your top two dream characters to draw. We'll get to the other in a bit, but after now having drawn Batman in Future State: Dark Detective, Detective Comics, and World's Finest, how is it being a regular Batman artist?

[Laughs] It is the coolest thing ever.

It is something so important to me that I'm sure I can't express in words the gratification it gives me to wake up every day and draw the Batman. I've been a big fan since before I can remember; this is a dream come true, for sure.

What informs your ideal Batman. Is it certain artists' renditions, or certain eras, or certain actors, or something else?

The Batman that lives in my head is a mix of lots of interpretations, from the dark gritty seeker of vengeance to the more goofy crusader. I think one of the interpretations that I appreciate the most is Batman from Batman: The Animated Series.

In an early interview you recorded, you mentioned how much an inspiration Bruce Timm (of Batman: The Animated Series) was to do. Can you tell us more about that?

Wooooooooo.... Bruce Timm means a lot to me.

His drawing style was a changing point for me. It was so refreshing. It looked so easy, and had so much personality. Bruce Timm was, and IS, one of my biggest influences. I met him once in San Diego, but I couldn't say much; I was so afraid that I could only say 'Hi!' and then I ran back to my booth!

[Laughs] You'll have another chance, I hope.

In preparing for this interview, I found some online reports that said you are the son of the famous artist Francisco Zuñiga. We spoke earlier and you explained that's an error, but that your parents did paint on occassion. How was it growing up in a household that appreciated art and creating it?

My Mom and dad used to occasionally draw or paint and they motivated me to draw.

Have your parents been able to see the success you've had?

Yes, they have! I am so thankful for my parents, who supported me and helped me develop my skills as an artist. I try to be like them with my children.

My mom, in particular, is a big reason why I like to draw. She shared different drawings from her class with me as a child. I ended up tracing them to exhaustion, but she always has a pen and paper when I needed it. My dad was the same; he was the one that bought me my first comics, and always had books that helped me improve my skills.

Fascinating. Do you remember when you were first introduced to comics?

At the age of 7, I think. It was the Batman movie by Tim Burton - that was super cool.

After that I have a big gap without comics, then when I was a teenager my dad bought be an early issue of Ultimate Spider-Man. I immediately fell in love with it!

I'm told you initially went to school for painting - what was your artwork like before you dedicated yourself to comics?

Yes, I studed to be a classic artist - with oils and everything! I was taught then that doing comics was the worst of the worst; luckily I didn't listen, and I continued making my own comic pages.

Lucky for us!

Speaking of 'fine art', however... some comic artists incorporate inkwash and watercolors into their comics pages - some even still paint their covers from time to time. Could you see yourself incorporating some of those specific mediums from art school into your comics work someday, somehow?

I did something like that for one of the Klaus specials with Grant Morrison, but it was very challenging. I was exhausted when I finished, and the result wasn't as good as I had hoped.

Maybe if I had more time I could try that again someday. I do like to color my own covers, still.

So you're going to school to be a painter, but you're working on comic pages at night. What was it that trigged you to dedicate yourself primarily to comics?

For a long time, the idea of doing comics for a living wasn't something I thought of as feasible. We don't have a comic industry here in Costa Rica, but I received the offer from BOOM! Studios to work for them when I was working as an infographic designer for a local newspaper. Obviously, I couldn't say 'no' to this impossible dream.

Let's back up a little bit. Before BOOM! reached out with an offer to do what became 2014's HExed, you worked on some comics that were published in Costa Rica. How did you feel about yourself as a comics creator then, before foreign publishers became interested in your work?

Jumping into the US market was scary, but I've been trying to do my best since then.

I did a couple of very small comics in my country; nothing important, but I'm proud of what I did because I learned a lot each day practicing. Jumping into the US market was scary, but I've been trying to do my best since then.

How do you feel your approach to drawing and working have changed since your early days in comics?

A lot has changed! [Laughs] I was more cartoony then. I've learned a lot of things since then, like drawing horses, drawing kids, drawing psychedelic creatures, robots, and medieval environments, to name a few. Those were things that I knew nothin about when I started. My drawing style is a little more detailed than it was back then, but that's because I'm not afraid of environments anymore. And I use a lot more black space.

I'm interested in a "more cartoony" Dan Mora style. Do you ever find the time these days to do more exagerated work tlike that? We'd love to see it!

I think I started with a more cartoony art style and now I'm trying to find a good mix between realistic and cartoony. I hope to find a good balance in the future, as I like the energy you can convey with a more gestural style.

I'm really impressed with how you carry yourself. Who or what has informed how you look at the comics industry, and what it means to be a professional comics artist?

To be a professional comic artist is a big responsibility. And for the many young artists living in Latin America (and especially in Costa Rica), I have the responsibility to show that we can do this. If we put our hearts, our passion, and our hard work into this, we have something valuable to add to the comics industry.

Let me ask then, Dan... what is success to you?

For me, it's being happy with what you have and always working to be better for yourself and for others.

What is it specifically about comics, do you think, that's appealed to you in a way that you've ended up doing this for a living as opposed to painting or commercial art or any of the other choices you must have had? What's fulfilling to you about comics that you don't get anywhere else?

That's a great question. There is something in comics that maks my heart happy. Maybe it is my early childhood memories, with all the heroes that taught me to be strong and nice to others. Or perhaps its the infinite possibilities of creating stories that captivate our imagination.

Are you friendly with other comic creators? Do you have a direct peer group, do you think? Who out there do you consider kind of in the same place you are, or with similar concerns?

Two of my best friends are comic book artists, and I have a cool relationship with a couple of cool artists through the internet, but I'm not part of a group or something similar.

Do you think you'll be drawing comics 10 years from now? What do you see for your future?

Absolutely! I want to draw stories until my last day on Earth, but maybe with just a litle more time and a little more calm.

You've said previously your top favortie superheroes are Batman and Spider-Man. You've drawn Batman extensively, but your Spider-Man work has been limited to a cover here or a commission there. If you had a list of dream gigs in comics, what would be on it - would Spider-Man make the list?

Yeah! Spider-Man is on top of my list, and someday I hope to be able to work on him. He and Batman are my heroes. It would be awesome to someday have the privilege to draw Peter Parker.