"Laugh? I Thought I'd Die!" is the first story in Haunted Mansion #7. It was written by Jon "Bean" Hastings and drawn by Jon Morris. Much like "The Big Nap" in Haunted Mansion #2, it is a (mostly) wordless comic that gives an origin for one of the Hitchhiking Ghosts, specifically Ezra.
Synopsis[]
Ezra Gasser as been a prankster since infancy, playing jokes and causing trouble for a laugh. He eventually makes a business of this, his small stand of gags eventually growing into a successful novelty joke company. But in 1924, Gasser Novelty sales take a sudden nosedive, and Ezra's board members agree that the company needs something new to rejuvenate interest.
Brooding over this, Ezra has an idea in his office when he spins the globe on his desk and randomly puts his finger down on a spot: China. Ezra goes there on a secret mission to uncover exotic gags, and gets a Chinese finger trap from a small, mysterious shop there. Ezra gets his fingers in but can't get them out, and as he struggles the shopkeeper laughs and transforms into a fiery demon before both he and his wares poof away, leaving Ezra alone in an empty room.
Some time later, Ezra remains in the room giggling madly to himself, still unable to get his fingers free. The fit of laughter causes something in him to snap and he dies, his ghost immediately rising free of the trap. He is met by the same ghoulish figure that met Gus, tipping his head and offering Ezra an invitation to come haunt Gracey Manor.
Ezra is quick to start pulling pranks on all of his fellow ghosts in the mansion when he arrives, causing a huge ruckus and making the other spirits turn on him angrily. He joins Phineas and Gus in trying to hitch a ride out after the others make it clear his jokes are no laughing matter, even in death.