Can someone explain the differences between the JSA and the JLA? Why do they both exist in the same universe...

Pre-Crisis they were multiversal neighbours who got together once a year and it was a big deal.

Post-Crisis (1986) the JSA was the team of mostly average humans who started the masked crimefighting craze in the 40s that the modern heroes (Superman when he "rebooted" in the 80s, etc.) patterned themselves after. Bruce Wayne has been shown as a big fan of the Alan Scott Green Lantern, for example, and he and (fictional) Zorro were his inspirations for Batman.

Post-Flashpoint (2011) the JSA never existed, except now they do/did? As of Doomsday Clock I think they're back, but also as of a recent Justice League arc? No idea what their deal is and I'm not sure DC does either.

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Justice League are work colleagues, the JSA is a family.

Back in he Silver Age, DC reimagined the JSA and its Golden Age characters as being from Earth-2. This version stayed consistent for a while, with Golden Age versions of mainstay characters like Batman and Superman also being established as their Earth-2 counterparts, cementing Earth-2 as the Golden Age DC universe.
Then CoIE happened and DC abandoned the idea of a multiverse. Characters got reimagined as their "New Earth" versions, which is how characters like Hawkman got their backstories all fucked up. The JSA and most of its Golden Age characters got retired, established as a team of superheroes from WW2 that went missing and were decades later followed by the Justice League.
DC later revived the JSA, building up on the WW2 heroes idea. The most popular members like Alan Scott and Jay Garret were brought back as old veterans and mentors to younger heroes including young successors to other Golden Age heroes, who were made canon again but had already died or retired.
Then New 52 happened and most of these characters were once again removed from the main universe. DC decided to bring back the Earth-2 idea, only this time they were all young heroes in their own present day Earth. And although this Earth-2 still exists, DC seems to be done with it for now. They've been teasing bringing the old WW2 JSA back to the main continuity, but DC's canon is kind of a mess right now.

Johns' JSA is just wholesome family building with Alan, Jay and Ted taking in the next generation of heroes and guiding them. Also apparently they never got off the ground and died in the Marvel timeline.

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Not hating on the JSA, I love them too, but part of the reason I like the JLA so much is they're one of the few superhero teams that aren't usually described as "being like a family." That's what's so great about Morrison's JLA, it's just 7-15 people who are extremely good at their jobs being good at their jobs. Something refreshing about that vs. constant soap opera. I blame Marvel.

I think the implication of Doomsday Clock is that they're back to their Post-Crisis status.

I almost wish they hadn't brought them back. They're so tied to WWII that you have to keep stretching belief that they'd all still be alive and active as heroes.

I wonder if they'll ever go with Marvel's solution with the fictional Siancong War that they can just always have as "about 20-ish years ago".
Maybe the JSA could have something like that. Something that's pretty much WW2 in everything but name.

Interesting, I've never heard of this. What Marvel books is it referenced in? Never came up in Zdarsky's Invaders last year.

Johns JSA is a must but some of the related books that feed in to it or spin out as a result are pretty good as well like the Hourman series, Robinson's Starman, and Johns' Hawkman series. All Star Squadron is good for the first 50 issues or so, can't speak to to Infinity Inc. and Young All Stars. Earth 2 is good for the first couple volumes, not what I think of when I think JSA but I can appreciate that they tried doing something different and it worked pretty well initially.

The only members of the original group who are still alive have pretty easy ways to handwave it. Alan's got the Starheart which has already been shown to be keeping him young as far back as the 90's, Jay's got speedforce and Ted has his '9 lives' thing. Hawkman will always be fucked though since it's hard to tell if he's even Carter anymore or something else.

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Mark Waid's History of the Marvel Universe mini retconned it in

Huh, wonder if Remender is a JSAfag?

But the beauty of Johns JSA is that there wasn't any soap opera bullshit (with the exception of Captain Marvel refusing to reveal him being a kid). It was wholesomeness and you truly felt that the team loved and cared for each other.

Infinity Inc was the Earth 2 version of Teen Titans, it's fun to read the book and see how it's even hornier than Teen Titans, everyone is trying to fuck each other. I haven't read Young All Stars but I know some anons said they didn't really like it and it seemed that Thomas' heart was never really in it, probably because DC just wiped his personal sandbox from existence.

>Maybe the JSA could have something like that. Something that's pretty much WW2 in everything but name.
How would you call it?
Planetary War?
Superhumans war?

Does Shazam fit better in the JSA or the JL?

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I would say neither because he works better as his own with the Shazamily in all the versions.
But if I needed to choose I would say JSA

He works better in the JSA than the JLA but he works best as a solo title.

if he is alone then in the JL, if he has the Shazamily then on their own

He works best as his own universe that's a naive, simplistic comic in the main DC Universe that Superman read as a boy. This was the 70s/80s status quo and it needs to come back. Multiversity came pretty close to pulling this off.