It’s been nine long years since the last episode of Green Lantern: The Animated Series aired on Cartoon Network, and fans of the show still call for the series to get a second chance.  While we did get an Aya Easter Egg in one episode of Justice League Action, today’s release of the latest Young Justice episode cements that the CGI animated show exists in the same universe as Young Justice.

“Encounter Upon the Razor’s Edge!” continues the plot line involving the New Gods, and in addition to an appearance of Tomar-Re, both Kilowog and Razer make a great appearance.  Kilowog in and of itself isn’t a shock, but having Kevin Michael Richardson reprise his role from the animated series was a special touch.  Jason Spisak, who played Razer, has been voicing Forager for some time, but hearing him back in the role of everyone’s favorite Red Lantern is a real delight.  Jeff Bennett does not reprise his role of Tomar-Re, but the character is in the very capable hands of Dee Bradley Baker, who did voice Larfleeze for GL:TAS.

When we last left the show, Razer was off in pursuit of Aya, hoping to find a way that she might have preserved herself, and a Blue Lantern ring was not far behind.  The new episode cements that the Blue Lantern ring found him as he’s continued to go down the path of redemption.  We also learn that four years in time has past in terms of the series’ timeline and that Razer has been pursuing a number of clues.

Where Razer’s journey intersects with the current plot line is with the involvement of the New Gods. Razer left his red ring in the hands of Metron to prevent anyone else from being processed by it.  Recent events have left Razer feeling hopeless, so he’s returned to New Genesis to reclaim his original ring. It turns out that Razer has been manipulated by Metron for some time, leading to an explosive reaction from the former Red Lantern. By the end of the episode Razer discovers that his personal journey is not at an end as he embraces both Hope and Rage.

The episode does everything right by GL:TAS, and it should considering that show producers Jim Krieg and Giancarlo Volpe were brought in to write this particular episode. Seeing Razer and Kilowog interact again was immensely satisfying, and the fact that the score for the episode gave major nods to Frederik Wiedmann’s GL:TAS work was such an amazing touch.  Their is also a funny nod to the Hulk TV series and a humorous bit about the number of Earth lanterns.  All that was missing was a Hal Jordan appearance.

The flashback to the original show looked fine and this episode showed that the animated series could continue even if the CGI was dropped.  I know I’m being optimistic, but I truly hope that some how, some way, this isn’t the end of the story.