10 Times The Joker Actually SAVED Batman
5. Helping Batman Find A Lost Girl
Detective Comics Vol 1 no. 726 features as a part of the Batman: Aftershock event, and was released in October 1998. Thomas Harris' The Silence of the Lambs had been masterfully put on the big screen at the beginning of the decade and its influence can be felt in this story, with Batman attempting to save a missing young girl while enlisting the Joker's help from within his cell in Arkham.
The story, named 'Fool's Errand', also sees Batman exhaust all other options and turn to his oldest foe for help. The Joker, doing his best Hannibal Lecter impersonation from the comfort of his prison cell, naturally throws himself into the whole thing with glee.
With the pressure on Batman seemingly growing by the second and all evidence pointing to the Clown Prince of Crime, The Joker reveals himself to be the true mastermind behind the whole ordeal. He saves Batman a whole load of embarrassment and guilt by handing over the location of the girl to him, where he's able to find her safe and sound as he had promised.
It might have all been a trademark Joker ploy to play the long game with him and bring him down to his level, but there's no denying that Batman also gained a great deal from the ordeal in terms of further understanding the ins and outs of how his greatest foe operates - even from within a jail cell.