Title: Omertà
Author: HanukoYoukai
Rating: T
Genre: Gen
Status: Completed
Chapters: 30
Wordcount: 154,668
Link: AO3
https://archiveofourown.org/works/19810759/chapters/46906381

Summary:

As anyone who's witnessed my doomscrolling in #reading can attest, I've been on a Spider-Man kick lately. And it's cancer. It's all cancer, riddled with softboi uwu hugboxes and zero actual narrative. This one breaks the mould.

It's an origin story of sorts, beginning after Spider-Man begins to exist, but before Civil War throws him into the limelight. Although there are interactions with Tony Stark later on when the timeline hits that point, Stark isn't the one who discovers Spider-Man. Instead it's James Wesley, and Peter finds himself becoming basically the apprentice to mob Alfred. There's a nice mentor vibe between them, and I rather enjoyed the way it led into the bait and switch of Peter falling under the influence of philanthropist Wilson Fisk then beginning to hear rumours about the Kingpin.

It's manipulative and fascinating in a very real way. Wesley and Fisk have some of that same sinister charisma that they did in Daredevil, and they're among the highlights of the MCU for me. I also quite liked that this story has stayed small in scale (at least so far - I'm only halfway through). Stark and Matt Murdock do appear, but their roles are pretty small and this is clearly a Spider-Man story which just happens to be in the MCU continuity, not an attempt to empty out the Marvel pantry as is the eternal sin of Marvel/DC comic fanfic authors.

The writing is a little rough at the start, not riddled with errors but lacking style. It's also prone to the worst kind of telling instead of showing, summarising events with oneliners instead of showing them. Once the author hits his stride a few chapters in this gets much less egregious, or I was getting into the story enough that I didn't mind as much. Certainly the awkward nervous stammering goes away - an absolutely insufferable trope. I probably would have dropped it in the first chapter or two had I not been pretty interested in the premise, but I'm really glad that I stuck it out.

Interesting concept with a flawed execution.

3/5

 

Technically and grammatically sound but with exactly the flaws you described. Bit heavy handed with the woobieing Peter, Tony feels out of character in certain parts, and a bit overuse of panic attacks to justify Fisk being able to bully a kid who can bench press a Toyota. 3/5.