Born in Portland, Oregon, and raised in Lubbock, Texas, Alex made his artistic debut at three years old when, according to his mother, he grabbed a piece of paper and drew the contents of a television commercial he'd seen moments before. By age 13 he was scripting and drawing original comic books.

Ten years later, he pitched the miniseries “Marvels” to Marvel Comics.  This became his breakthrough project in mainstream comics. Ross would eventually go on to win the Comic Buyer's Guide Award for Favorite Painter. He won so many times that the award was officially retired.