DC and the Golden Age of Superheroes

So as primarily a Marvel guy, I have been making an effort (especially this year) to dive deeper into DC. I know many of the A and B tier characters, but little of the history of the universe.

So I read the new “History of the DC Universe” mini this year. Setting aside what I thought of everything overall, suffice to say what made the biggest impact on me was the golden age of heroes and the JSA. That may be the one thing Marvel doesn’t really have (or flaunt anyway). Captain America fought in WW2, and the first human torch was a thing that existed (and also was a robot)? The sub-mariner was… also a thing, and still is I guess?

The JSA just hits different somehow. My interest was piqued. And then I took notice of a JSA book on the shelf. And then they started a new story arc: Year One. That was as long as I could hold out. I have only cursory/selective knowledge of the characters and their gimmicks, but so far I love it.

Set in 1940, you have all these characters unraveling the plot of Nazis embedded in America and coming together to do it. None of them seem particularly overpowered compared to modern DC heroes: The Sandman’s whole thing is knockout gas? Is he also smart or is that all there is to him? And the Hourman gets temporary powers from taking pills? (And he’s rich?)

It feels like small scale heroes dealing with small scale threats, and that’s… cozy.

Also, big Watchmen feelings. Really reminds me how the titular Watchmen were preceded by the “Minute Men” or whatever, and how those characters were originally supposed to be more directly based on the JSA.

I don’t know if I’ll still be reading the series still after the year one story or not. I think previous issues were about older versions of these heroes operating in the present, which doesn’t have quite the same appeal. (I very nearly squealed when I saw they were going to be fighting Nazis). But there’s always the possibility to be surprised.

Although if Worlds Finest can go back and write new stories set in the past, why can’t JSA?

If you’re familiar with other parts of DC, you might know more than you think about the JSA. Like the first Green Lantern was [retconned?] to be a closeted homosexual, and I know they haven't shied away from promoting that fact. And the Sandman was famously inspired to take up the mantle to fill some kind of a cosmic imbalance because Morpheus was being held captive during the first arc of Sandman (and also he has prophetic dreams as a side-effect I guess???)

But Golden Age Wonder Woman actually being her mother is new to me