Sshh. Her lips are sealed.

It's just a stylistic thing, same with the smoke, which represents heat more so than fumes.

Normally you hold the iron horizontal under the nose and of course don't breathe during the heat test.

And you don't actually kiss the soldering iron until it's cooled all the way down, and usually not unless the experimental circuit you came up with works the first time you plug it in :) So you can relax as intended and unplug the damn iron, without having to keep on hammering til all hours.

One thing she's not telling is the way you should be effective enough soldering using (very inexpensive) uncontrolled soldering irons, that you can eventually solder two pieces of solder together. Before you graduate to a "pro-grade" soldering station.

Huff flux (like we all do), duh.

Maybe it should look like someone in a Western movie blowing smoke from a pistol?

Like the best art, it's left up to the viewer to decide!

That alone makes me think it was drawn by AI. They say it's not...but that iconic pic sits directly in the uncanny valley.

It is clearly a reference to a smoking gun. I think the cover is beautiful.