MAD Magazine 1983 #9 
Country:
Sweden
Consecutive Issue Number:
208
Published:
1983
Original cover:
On the original cover Mr T. was the one unmasking to the chock and awe of Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia. On the cover of Swedish MAD Anders Ferm had given Darth Vader enough reconstructive surgery for this to become one Lasse Åberg (graphic designer/artist, musician, author/screen writer, director, actor, comedian) under the mask. Ferm is the main reason for this repost, as he is also (with a high probability) the one responsible for the center pane of the cover of issue 8/82 (with Alfred's missing tooth).
A short explanation to the switch of faces: The show "The A-Team" wasn't televised in Sweden at the time (Swedish television only had two channels in the early 80’s and had to be choosy with what they aired as there weren't enough slots in the daily schedule), so back then nobody in Sweden knew who Mr T. was. The show was aired later on, when the first commercially funded channel was established.
Why did Åberg get chosen as the face of Darth Vader? It may be because Åberg has been seen in various shows on television since the late 60’s. He was also quite active in the 70’s and 80’s, featuring on the silver screen in at least two successful comedies up to the time of this issue. Another reason may be that just before this issue came out, Åberg released a movie (a comedy with historic content) that bombed quite badly at the box office and MAD just wanted to in good jest twist the knife in the wound a bit.
On the inside of the cover there are a sort of a presentation of Lasse Åberg and what he has been up to by Tage Bäckström (art) and Bengt Sahlberg (script). But why the Mickey Mouse ears? Because Åberg's favourite model when he creates art/graphic designs happenst to be Mickey Mouse -- or anything banana related (a result of a TV series he made in the 80's, for kids or grown-ups with a childish mind). He even has a small museum where he exhibits his surprisingly large collection of Mickey Mouse stuff.
Editorial
- Cover Artist: Anders Ferm
