Love this - I saw the figures immediately in the thumbnail but at the same time thought it was one of those illusions where you see forms that are quite by accident - like figures in clouds. Colors are great, too.
Hey, look at those bulging muscles! Great effect. Fun idea. I like it. I can see that cropping would probably cause you to lose parts you want to keep, but how about lightening or changing the black area instead, since pretty much the only area that is black is around the sides.