Oh, the puns!

Jack, really, it wasn't that funny of a joke.  There's no need for all of the laughter.  (Are you on something, my friend?  Does it have something to do with the shadowy side of your face?  Two-Face, is that you?)  Unfortunately, Tracy's joke seems to have distracted Jack from his original intention: the telling of his master plan, so I guess that we'll never know what it was, at least until the cops show up and it all gets explained in a sentence or two.  (Unless the cops don't show up because once again Tracy is working outside of the law.  I only hope that this time he completes the paperwork so that he'll actually get paid.  With the perfume business a bust, I'm not sure that anyone in the Tracy household is bringing home a paycheck at the moment.)
Setting aside everything but another pun, this strip reveals something very interesting.  It would seem that not only is laughter the best medicine, but in a pinch it's also a pretty effective weapon, one which Tracy appears to be something of an expert with (at least when it concerns those who might be a tad unbalanced).  This strip also shows yet another failure of Jack's criminal mind for instead of keeping Tracy in the supply room/janitor's closet, he brought him right out into the control room, full of all manner of machines and other equipment no doubt crucial to the running of his criminal empire.  (Jack, dear, this wasn't the best idea in the world because obviously something is going to happen in here, possibly concerning electricity and/or gunfire, that may result in your ultimate demise.)  I would also like to add that in the future, if, as a criminal, you are going to bring your captives into the control room, do clean the windows first.  The grime doesn't set a very good impression, and if they see a dirty window, they might think that there are other areas you may be lax in and start looking to those as a possible means of escape.  (But that's just a suggestion.  Do with it as you will, but don't come crying to me if you lose because you refused to use a little Windex.)

(And now, a word from our blogger: I don't know how much more of this I can take.  So many card puns involving the words Ace and Jack.  It's almost getting to be too much for me to handle, but never fear, for I shall persevere and get through it because I must, and because I have already come this far, so I can't give up now, not when I'm so close to the end, or not.)