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"Fool's Errand": Batman is working on a case related to an Arkham Asylum ex-con who kidnaps a little girl. Batman learns that the abductor committed suicide and he decides to search for clues in the only place that might hold answers; Arkham. Upon arriving, Batman

Quote1 I know you, Batman. When you approach a hostage situation like I put you in tonight -- you probably assume the victim is already dead. Oh, sure, you do everything you can to save them anyway, because that's you. But you don't really dare hope, do you? After tonight, though -- you'll never be able to do that again. Will you? Quote2
Joker

Detective Comics #726 is an issue of the series Detective Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of October, 1998.

Synopsis for "Fool's Errand"

Batman is working on a case related to an Arkham Asylum ex-con who kidnaps a little girl. Batman learns that the abductor committed suicide and he decides to search for clues in the only place that might hold answers; Arkham. Upon arriving, Batman learns that the released inmate cell was the one nearby the Joker's cell and then he decides to question the clown in order to get some answers about the little girl's whereabout. Joker starts playing mind games with Batman and the dark knight learns that the abduction was a Joker plan from the beginning and that the ex-con was just used by the Joker. Batman deduced that the Joker planned it all along due to the date, which was the anniversary of death of Jason Todd. After a while, Batman refuses to play the Joker's game and simply asks him the location of the girl, and the Joker, realizing that the "fun" has ended, gives the exact place to Batman.

Batman rushes to the given address and fights his way through several henchmen to finally save the little girl who was trapped inside the truck of a car in a drowning boat.

After all was said and done, Batman asked the Joker why he gave away the place without any hesitation or double-crossing intentions, and the Joker told Batman that knowing him as only the Joker does, he knew that Batman would expect to find the girl dead but after the events of that night, Joker knew that Batman would always think twice before assumming the worst in a hostage situation.

Appearing in "Fool's Errand"

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Notes

Trivia

  • It is stated that the date in the story is the anniversary of death of Jason Todd; the second Robin, at the hands of The Joker.


See Also

Recommended Reading

Links and References

Batman Shadow of the Bat Vol 1 73
Batman: Cataclysm Crossover
DC Rebirth Logo

This issue is a part of the Cataclysm crossover that swept through all Batman Family Titles during 1998. Gotham City was almost completely destroyed by a massive earthquake. This story led into the events that would eventually create No Man's Land.

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