Joseph M. Monks (born February 21, 1968, Queens, New York, U.S.) is an American writer and blind film director, best known for co-creating the cult phenomena horror comic book, Cry For Dawn. He has also been credited as Joseph Monks and Joe Monks.
Joseph M Monks was the co-creator of Cry For Dawn, an American horror comic book anthology.
In 2002, Joe Monks lost his sight as a result of diabetic retinopathy. The then 33-year-old author completed his first anthology of original fiction, Stuff Out'a My Head, released in December of the same year. The anthology featured illustrations by Bernie Wrightson and others.
After the Cry For Dawn days, Joe successfully became a driving force in independent horror, launching titles including The Night Terrors (also featuring Bernie Wrightson and William S. Stout), NightCry, Tales of the Dead, and several one-shots. His most recent endeavors include Gory Lori, a modern-day zombie apocalypse series illustrated by Jeff Salisbury and Mike Koneful, and the horror anthology, Zacherley's Midnight Terrors, a tribute to TV horror host John Zacherle.
In 2003, one of Joe's short stories, "Chance Meeting," was optioned for adaptation to the screen by Japanese publishing house Bunkasha, in tandem with DK Publishing. Starring supermodel Matsuo Otani, the work was intended to be used as a Japanese television pilot. but the producers instead released it as a stand-alone DVD. Joe also appeared in the film, being tortured by a dominatrix demanding he tell her a scary story.
With The Bunker (SightUnseen Pictures), Joe became the first blind feature film director.
Joe's story, "Shuteye", appeared in The Mammoth Book of Best Horror Comics (March 2008), and New Horror Handbook (May 2009) sports a chapter about his film work.
In 2010, Sight Unseen Pictures, LLC launched a Kickstarter Project to help fund the completion of Monks' first feature film, The Bunker. The project ran from August 1, to September 30.
In 2011, Joe received the Achievement in Cinema award at the Gasparilla Int'l Film Festival. Tampa, FL on March 27, 2011.