Cruz started his professional career as a letterer for Editora Abril, the Brazilian publishing house, for whom he lettered many Portuguese translations of American comics; then worked as a writer and art assistant for Mil Perigos, a short-lived black and whitecomics magazine. When Art & Comics Studio first introduced Brazilian artists to the American comic book market, he was given the opportunity to work as an artist for Marvel Comics on the titles Ghost Rider, Hulk, Uncanny X-Men, X-Men Alpha, X-Patrol, Generation X, X-Calibre, X-Factor, X-Man, Avengers: Timeslide and Silver Surfer. He also worked for DC Comics, where he provided art for one issue of the comic bookBatman Chronicles. At the end 1990s Cruz took a break from working on comic books and returned to Brazil, where he became one of the founders and partners of an art studio/school in Brazil called Fábrica de Quadrinhos. Cruz also worked as a storyboard designer for advertising agencies, a character designer for TV shows, and an art teacher, and gave a two-year course of lectures and workshops in universities.. Still being a Fábrica de Quadrinhos partner, he returned to work for the American market, contributing to Top Cow Productions titles such as The Darkness and Ascension, and Marvel titles like X-Men, Wolverine, and '. In 1999 Cruz gave up his projects in Fábrica de Quadrinhos and turned back to work exclusively with comics. In 2002, negotiated by Art & Comics Studio, he illustrated issues of Wonder Woman. Since 2004, he has been working for Marvel once again, as the artist on Amazing Fantasy and '. Cruz published more works in Brazil, such as Xampu- Lovely Losers.
Controversy
Cruz was a regular on the Genesis Comics "Swipe Of The Week" website around 1999. The site placed two pieces of published work by two different artists side by side, and allowed the users to vote whether they were seeing an homage, a coincidence, or a direct copy. Primarily, Cruz's work was placed beside the previously printed work of Joe Madureira, but also Jim Lee. Cruz has acknowledged on his website that he learned to draw primarily by copying from other pencillers.
