Catwoman No. 17

This is No. 17 of Catwoman's solo series during DC's "New 52" era, titled "Rat Tales," written by Ann Nocenti and drawn by Rafa Sandoval, published by DC Comics on February 20, 2013, in full color, 32 pages, rated Teen Plus (15+). The story follows directly from Selina Kyle's head-on clash with the Joker and the Black Diamond affair. With the crisis briefly over, she decides to give herself a "vacation," and relaxation for Gotham's most famous cat means nothing more than another round of serial theft. At night she comes upon a teenage gang called the "Rat-Tails" dealing drugs near an amusement park: a man in a black suit buys the drugs and then suddenly turns on them, demanding the children hand over the "boss's" cut from the wasteland area. Selina intervenes as Catwoman, subdues the older boys, extorts the children with the deal by making them her "eyes" on the street, and takes the drugs. The identity of the white-suited man's superior remains a mystery. By day, Selina and her associate Gwen Altamont scout the Gotham Museum, planning to steal paintings. After the Black Diamond affair she keeps her distance from jewels for the time being, and paintings become the new target. On the same timeline, GCPD detective Carlos Alvarez is investigating the theft; he follows the fingerprints to Gwen and again locks onto "the other woman." Selina also wants to get close to Milo, the little boy she met during the Joker attack, at the orphanage, but the nuns put her off vaguely. The issue alternates between two things: a painting heist meant to take 20 minutes, and a relentless cop who has vowed she will not "slip past" him again. For Selina, fresh from major events, this night is both a breather and a fresh batch of trouble.