Rock 'n' Wrestling

Ben Grimm, the Thing, is my favorite Fantastic Four member. I guess it also holds true for a lot of readers since he was the only one who spun off successfully on a solo series (a number of them, actually). Marvel was trying to do the same with the Human Torch, but with little success. I guess Ben's troubled nature while still trying to be a positive guy resonated more with fans, as opposed to Johnny's cocky young man who has everything going for him.

Risky Business

 

John Byrne's take on Lex Luthor as a ruthless businessman (based on Marv Wolfman's idea, I believe) was very different from the mad scientist of the Pre-Crisis universe, but it worked. He became much more dangerous in my eyes, and it became difficult for Superman to bring him to justice since he could just employ an army of lawyers to avoid being imprisoned.

I think this clash would be something Ted Kord would lose, since during those days Ted was not too keen on running a company. Indeed, by the end of the Blue Beetle series his father had wrested control of the business from him.