Which is better?

[Almyrigan Hero]

Working on two alternative covers for my novel. It's a fantasy "mystery-adventure," with a focus on strange artifacts and disturbingly peculiar monsters. The overall presentation is PG-13, but it features an ominous tone and explores some heavy themes through a sober and critical lens.



Neither is necessarily 'finished' (and you can probably already tell which version is way further along,) but which is a better starting point to develop further, and how would you go about improving your preferred version? I need it to catch eyes, but also communicate tone; alternatively, if you have a better idea than either, feel free to share.

 

[K.S. Crooks]

My first impressions: I like the colours used for the characters in each of the images. The clothes on the right do feel to me as if they have been worn for a long time nd seen much strife. The clothes on the left to me say "new adventure". The one on the right gives me a more ominous feeling of perhaps being under ground, while the one on the right makes me think of being on a mountain. The background on the right would need to be brighter to allow the characters to standout. What if the characters on the right are placed in a dark background?
Hope this helps a little.