League of Super Evil: Season 1, Volume 1

Before the arrival of the arch-villain CGI-animated movie spoofs Despicable Me and Megamind, this 2009 Canadian TV show mined similar thematic territory in standard 2D cartoon format. Set in a futuristic community full of good guys and bad guys, the series centers on the maladroit exploits of the League of Super Evil (LOSE). LOSE is headed by pint-sized Voltar, a masked marauder whose schemes and antics are aptly small-scale—such as masquerading as a substitute teacher, trying to win a pet show with reptilian companion-creature Doomageddon, steaming while lunkhead sidekick Red Menace unexpectedly becomes a music star, or taking another supervillain's giant mecha suit for a joyride (a bit that includes an amusing parody of the Power Rangers; another segment cleverly sends up Kubrick's HAL 9000). The show offers no character-building moral lessons, just mischievous rainy-day comedy for kids in the 13 entertaining episodes compiled here. Recommended. Aud: P. (C. Cassady)