Biggest differences between the JSA and the JLA?

[Kingdom X]

Obviously besides the characters, what do you all think are the biggest differences between the JSA and the JLA. For example, what kind of threats would the JSA take on that the JLA wouldn't? What themes could be explored in a JSA book that wouldn't work in JLA?

[sifighter]

I think the themes of the JSA is legacy but also training younger heroes who don’t run off to become Titans. Like the JSA goes all the way back to the WW2, and each one of its characters have had significant impact or connections to the dc universe, not to mention how they’ve helped train other heroes even some of the big leaguers (pretty sure Wildcat has trained Batman in some continuities and Alan Scott definitely mentored Kyle Rayner in the 90’s).

While the Justice League I would see as seven heroes who first banded together as a team who spread out and became a huge community/army, the JSA is sort of a center if you would.

[Ra-El]

I think, that in a sense, the JSA is more of a team, while the JLA is more like a necessity thing.

The characters that form the JSA are more team players, the ones that form the JL are more loners. That is for both in and out of universe reasons. But the results are the same, seeing the JSA characters having meeting, seeting around a table and taking group pictures feels way more appropriate, natural and resonant than see the same things with the Justice League.

The JSA are a group of people who have chose to work as a team and have formed very close relationships with each other. The Justice League are a group of friends that get together from time to time.

[Johnrevenge]

I think, that in a sense, the JSA is more of a team, while the JLA is more like a necessity thing.

The characters that form the JSA are more team players, the ones that form the JL are more loners. That is for both in and out of universe reasons. But the results are the same, seeing the JSA characters having meeting, seeting around a table and taking group pictures feels way more appropriate, natural and resonant than see the same things with the Justice League.

The JSA are a group of people who have chose to work as a team and have formed very close relationships with each other. The Justice League are a group of friends that get together from time to time.

I agree, the JSA acts more like a family.

[sifighter]

I agree, the JSA acts more like a family.

You know I didn't want to say that line but its true. When it comes to characters they are actually friends who care about each others personal lives. Where Wildcat would actually talk to Alan Scott about how his personal life is going, Batman would just consider how he would secretly beat Hal Jordan in a fight.

[Jim Kelly]

There are certain similarities of history that caused both to be created.

The Society came at a time when the super-hero explosion was starting. Even at that early stage, they had a plurality of heroes to draw from, because comics were 64 page anthologies and had many features in a single issue available for use. Even so, ALL-STAR drafted from two different publishers--All-American Comics and Detective Comics/National Allied--which doubled the choices.

The League started at a time when the super-hero explosion was re-starting, but they had a limited number of heroes from National Periodicals and they pretty much used all of them except Green Arrow (who would join shortly). They had to wait for other super-heroes to be developed before they could expand their roster. And as such those first seven members became the core of the group.

The Society was not shy about cutting the big names from their roster. They excluded Superman, Batman and Robin because they had their own star vehicles. And they later dropped the Flash and Green Lantern. So there were greater chances for second stringers to get onto the team.

Second stringers and new stars had a hard time getting into the League. Still, Superman and Batman were sometimes held back from use in the League--because editors didn't want them over-exposed.

I'd say that the Society didn't take its ALL-STAR title as seriously as the League with their World's Greatest Super-Heroes sobriquet.

In conclusion, I'd say the Society was more inclusive and less fussy about who they let in, where the League was about trying to have the biggest names they could get into the book.

[achilles]

As far as what sorts of missions each would handle; there's a good deal of overlap. Both are quite capable of dealing with cosmic level threats, and both are filled with powerhouses and some street level characters, though the League in its classic configuration had a greater number of cosmic level characters while the Society had the more powerful ones, (with the Spectre along being able to take the entire League). More recent additions to the Society add anywhere from one to several very high level supers to the mix.

That said, the League more often handles the cosmic threats, that being a sort of specialty of theirs, while the Society more often takes on lower level but still serious threats.

[Vordan]

I agree, the JSA acts more like a family.

Which is kind of the problem. Titans, Doom Patrol, every team that isn’t the Justice League, they’re all “we’re a family!” which means none of them really stand out as anything but B-Listers. The League is the premiere team that handles the “real” threats while everyone else fights second rate bad guys. It’s harsh but it’s true.

[Kingdom X]

Which is kind of the problem. Titans, Doom Patrol, every team that isn’t the Justice League, they’re all “we’re a family!” which means none of them really stand out as anything but B-Listers. The League is the premiere team that handles the “real” threats while everyone else fights second rate bad guys. It’s harsh but it’s true.

Hmmm that's kinda true. Doom Patrol at least have a pretty clear niche.

[WonderNight]

Which is kind of the problem. Titans, Doom Patrol, every team that isn’t the Justice League, they’re all “we’re a family!” which means none of them really stand out as anything but B-Listers. The League is the premiere team that handles the “real” threats while everyone else fights second rate bad guys. It’s harsh but it’s true.

That what I'm saying. When people go around saying "the titans belong together because they're a family" im like who isn't.

[ultradav]

Which is kind of the problem. Titans, Doom Patrol, every team that isn’t the Justice League, they’re all “we’re a family!” which means none of them really stand out as anything but B-Listers. The League is the premiere team that handles the “real” threats while everyone else fights second rate bad guys. It’s harsh but it’s true.

I don't see it as a problem. It's just how they operate internally. All of those teams have saved humanity at one point or another. To the contrary, maybe it says something about the Justice League that they don't really have a defining team characteristic other than "really popular heroes fighting big threats".

[PCN24454]

Which is kind of the problem. Titans, Doom Patrol, every team that isn’t the Justice League, they’re all “we’re a family!” which means none of them really stand out as anything but B-Listers. The League is the premiere team that handles the “real” threats while everyone else fights second rate bad guys. It’s harsh but it’s true.

That’s because “anyone” can be a JL member. You just have to take a bunch of popular characters and put them in the League. The JSA’s roster actually has to matter.

On one hand, that enables the JL writers to use whatever’s story they want, but it also makes them less defined than the JSA.