 Described by Stephen Becker as " modern and almost too intellectual " , the strip eschewed many of the pulp fictional detective tropes ( e.g. alcoholism , two @-@ fisted assistants , and an assortment of interchangeable femmes fatale ) . Instead , " [ Rip ] did more cogitating than fisticuffing , and smoked a leisurely pipe while he did it ; " " had a frail , balding assistant ... instead of a two @-@ fisted sidekick ; " " had a steady girlfriend ... [ and ] [ i ] f that wasn 't enough , he even wore glasses ! Rip " lived and worked in a recognizable , glamorous , modern New York City on cases involving very human frailties and vice " , and " grew older as the strip progressed " , a continuity advancement little seen in the strips of the time ( although pioneered in " Gasoline Alley " and Mary Worth ) . Raymond noted the change in subject matter , commenting that " I wanted to do something different and more down to earth . " 
