In the annals of DC Comics lore, there are two main superteams- the Justice Society of America and the Justice League of America. The JSA debuted in the '40s and were made up of the greatest heroes of the time. They would fight both supervillains and the Nazi threat and would serve as an ideal of superheroic derring-do.
The Justice League of America is the JSA's spiritual descendant. Much like the JSA, the JLA is made up of the greatest heroes of the day, brought together to fight the biggest threats. Both teams were the linchpin of their respective times, with the JSA being brought back in the present to fight alongside the heroes of today. However, which team would be considered the greatest? This list is going to lay out some reasons for the greatness of both.
10 Justice League: The Most Powerful Heroes
As great as the heroes of the JSA are, the JLA's members outclass them on a power level, with two exceptions (stay tuned). The Flash of the JLA can move at the speed of light and run through universes. The Green Lanterns of the JLA, whether it be Hal, John, Kyle, or Guy, are Alan Scott's superior when it comes to ring-slinging. Martian Manhunter has a repertoire of powers that is second to none.
That's not even counting Superman and Wonder Woman, who have each technically been a part of both teams. Technically. The DC Universe and its history is quite complicated.
9 Justice Society: The Two Exceptions
The most powerful members of the JSA are Dr. Fate and the Spectre. There have been many Dr. Fates over the years, but they all have one thing in common - the Helmet of Nabu. Nabu, a Lord of Order, lives within the Helmet and lends the user his power and vast knowledge of spells. While the JLA has Zatanna, no slouch in the sorcery department, even she would admit that Fate is her superior.
The most powerful member of the JSA is the Spectre. The Angel of God's Vengeance, the Spectre can pretty much do anything. During the Crisis On Infinite Earth, he was able to hold Earths and protect them. He's next-level. However, in the present-day incarnations of the JSA, he usually isn't an active member of the team.
8 Justice League: The Greatest Threats In The Universe
The League fights not only the biggest threats on Earth but in the universe. Alien invasion? The Justice League is on it. Interdimensional raiders? The Justice League has it covered. Multiversal incursions from dark gods? You guessed it- the League.
That's not to say that the Justice Society doesn't face some big threats, but the League takes care of the next level threats. Even when the two teams co-exist, it's the League that takes the lead when it comes to the worst of the worst.
7 Justice Society: Longevity
The JSA has been around since the 40s and for most of DC's publication history, they had some kind of presence. Whether it be the original All-Star Comics, the All-Star Squadron revamp, the yearly JLA-JSA crossovers of the Silver Age, the Geoff Johns penned JSA and Justice Society of America, and the New 52's Earth-2, the JSA has staying power.
That says a lot about the team and what it means to fans. Fans of DC of all ages love the JSA intensely, even if they've never read the original comics.
6 Justice League: The Best Of The Best
When it comes right down to it, especially in recent years, the JLA gets the best creators. Sure, the JSA had Geoff Johns, but it was where he made his name. He wasn't DC's go-to guy yet. However, Johns would work on the League reboot for the New 52. The JLA would also get a man who is arguably the greatest modern DC writer- Grant Morrison.
Add to that names like Mark Waid, Scott Snyder, Joe Kelly, Brad Meltzer, and Dwayne McDuffie, and the JLA has gotten some of the greatest writers of all time and that's not even bringing up artistic talent like Jim Lee, Jason Fabok, Howard Porter, and others.
5 Justice Society: The Fans
Ever since the New 52, fans have been kind of mad at DC for their treatment of the JSA. Even though the team was given its own book, Earth-2, fans were mad that the team had been taken away from the main Earth's continuity.
The team had become such a huge part of the post-Crisis DC Universe that when it was taken away and relegated to its own corner of the multiverse, fans were very angry. That anger would continue into the Rebirth era, as DC kept the status of the team uncertain until Snyder's Justice League and Johns' Doomsday Clock.
4 Justice League: The Flagship
Over the years, the Justice League's books have been the flagship. Sure, sometimes it was Superman or Action Comics or Batman, but when a book that has the caliber of talent that the Justice League gets, they're going to be the biggest book on the shelves.
Add to that the fact that the team is made of up DC's biggest characters and it's easy to see why the Justice League's comics get a lot of clout in comparison to the JSA.
3 Justice Society: The Originals
Two of the greatest members of the JLA are the Flash and Green Lantern. However, they wouldn't exist if it wasn't for their Golden Age antecedents - Jay Garrick and Alan Scott, the Golden Age Flash and Green Lantern, respectively.
While neither character debuted in a JSA book (since there technically was no JSA book back then), their place in the JSA and the legacy they began would be what made the Silver Age versions possible, earning them their places in the JLA.
2 Justice League: The Big Three
This one is a bit complicated. While the Golden Age versions of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman were members of the JSA, continuity retcons would make it so they technically weren't anymore. Even though they were members at one time (and on the original Earth-2), they aren't exactly synonymous with the JSA.
They are synonymous with the League, though. There have been versions of the League without the Big Three, but something always feels missing when they aren't around. There's a reason they're called the Big Three- they're the three biggest heroes in the DC Universe and they're the core of the Justice League.
1 Justice Society: Paving The Way
Without the Justice Society, modern comics would look very different. It was a revolutionary idea to take all of the biggest heroes of DC and put them together. No other publisher was doing anything even remotely similar. The concept of the superteam would resonate throughout the years, acting as an inspiration.
Without the JSA, there is no Justice League. Without the Justice League, Archie Goodman never tells Stan Lee and Jack Kirby to begin creating new Marvel superhero books. The JSA is basically the linchpin holding the entire concept of modern superheroes together. Take them away and there would probably still be superhero comics, but they would be a lot different.