I'd even move the text further down. It doesn't have to be precisely in the middle of the 2 figures.
Try a thinner font for the name - even a different font.
But it shouldn't really distract from the title.
I think the title in the middle of the composition will work, as it divides the viewers attention evenly between the onlooker and the hanged person, setting up a more dramatic feel, as the viewer initally sees the onlooker, and the sees the person coming on the scene.
Usually the reading order is left and right from top to bottom, so adding the text to the middle of the composition gives a natural break to the eye in the composition, being a bit dramatic with how the story unfolds on the front cover.
Try a thinner font for the name - even a different font.
But it shouldn't really distract from the title.
I think the title in the middle of the composition will work, as it divides the viewers attention evenly between the onlooker and the hanged person, setting up a more dramatic feel, as the viewer initally sees the onlooker, and the sees the person coming on the scene.
Usually the reading order is left and right from top to bottom, so adding the text to the middle of the composition gives a natural break to the eye in the composition, being a bit dramatic with how the story unfolds on the front cover.