Name: Milo Dawson Jr.
Age: 36 (DOB: 8-28-1972. Editor's note: yes, I'm going Mary Sue. Eat me. ;) ) Note: The series opens in April 2009.
Height: 6'7
Weight: 525 lbs

Milo grew up in the same neighborhood as Tom, one of three children. His father was an attorney, and his mother primarily stayed at home, but was active as a volunteer at his school. He always felt like he was a bit of an outcast because of his size, but often assumed the role as token protector against bullies throughout elementary, middle, and high school. In all his schooling, he only got into one actual fight, which he won with a single, dumb-luck punch that broke the other kid's nose, leaving Milo feeling guilty and ashamed for weeks. As he turned into a teen, he became a passive, gentle giant who immersed himself in comic books, cartoons, video games, and toy collecting.

He was never fond of his name, and always felt as if he was living in his father's shadow. by middle school, friends simply referred to him as "Daws," instead of his first name

At sixteen, he confided to his childhood friend that he'd been harboring a secret crush on him since puberty, and followed him to college. In college, the two explored their identities as gay men and carried on an informal domestic relationship, as they shared a down room. However, upon graduation, Tom returned to Michigan, and Milo used his computer science degree to take a job as a programmer for a conservative, Christian company in Atlanta. Save for his mother's funeral in 2002, he only came home for a week at Christmas, and avoided the possibility of sex with Tom.

After fifteen years, Daws was downsized, as his job was outsourced from under him. He tried to find work, but instead tapped his savings until he was in danger of going broke. Knowing that her brother was in trouble, and that Tom was taking in boarders, she arranged for the two to reunite on Facebook. Tom also tapped another childhood friend from school to get Daws a job in a nearby call center. The series opens with Daws returning to Flint fifteen years after graduation, trying to figure out who he is in his new life.

Daws is the product of a decade and a half of closeting, shame, and self-loathing. He could almost be considered to have the equivalent of Stockholm Syndrome about his identity as a gay male--sympathizing with the views and beliefs of his former employers. Though liberal at heart, he finds himself confronting the engrained conservatism of living in the south under a christian, right-wing ideology for fifteen years. Moreover, because he was afraid of being outed, his sexual experiences have been limited to bath houses on out of town business trips, and Internet porn. The last time he considered himself gay was 1994, and he tries to reconcile his old identity in a world that's radically changed in fifteen years.

His mother has been dead from breast cancer for seven years. He has a tense relationship with his father, who isn't homophobic, but heterosexist enough to not know how to interact with his gay son. His brother, following in his father's footsteps, also has an awkward and tense relationship with Daws for the same reason. His sister is the only relative in his family who unconditionally accepts and loves him for who he is.

Daws is a bit insecure and shy. He's not used to the idea of sex without guilt or shame, and he's definitely not used to the idea that others--Tom in particular--find him sexually attractive.

Note: His glasses are a signature part of the character. He is almost never seen with them off. At least in the early part of the strip, they only come off when something important happens. In the story, the last time anyone remembers seeing his face without them was at his mother's funeral...