Like many people, I first saw Jay in Flash of Two Worlds, although I knew about him before that. I immediately thought the guy was cool, and that opinion only grew stronger as I read the annual JLA/JSA crossovers. By far my favorite take on him though was when he, Alan and Ted became the grandpas of the modern JSA team. Not my favorite Flash or elder Speedster, but he's still one of the greats.
That was the way it was for me as a kid. Across the board, I thought the JSA were cooler. These days...I still think that's true. Well, except for Aquaman.