👻 Happy Friday and Halloween weekend!

☀️ Today's weather: Sunny, with a high of 73 and a low of 44.

📍Situational awareness:

Today’s newsletter is 1,107 words — a 4-minute read.

True story: I lost my sole looking for my car in Old City — literally, the sole of my all-black Jordan Westbrooks fell off.

Why it matters: For many residents, the Philadelphia Parking Authority is the king of misery — and it struck again this week, towing my Nissan Sentra while I was hanging out with my Axios colleagues.

Driving the news: I was walking back from lunch with my Axios Local colleagues on Wednesday at Red Owl Tavern when I noticed my car wasn't where I had parked it.

• That was confusing because I'd paid for two hours of parking.
• Almost exactly at the same moment, my shoe's sole popped off.

What's that saying? Bad news comes in threes.

• After dropping $33 for an Uber ride to the impound lot on Oregon Avenue, I paid another $378 to get my car out.

What I found: The staff was super polite, even after I almost crashed out upon learning my insurance card had expired and I had to call my provider to email an updated one.

• After taking a beat, I remembered that I'm not alone.

The big picture: Pretty much everyone despises PPA — you, me (theoretically), Snacktime and the comedian who went viral after declaring there wasn't a "more evil" parking agency in the U.S.

• But like it or not, some of the hatred toward the parking authority is unfounded — or at least unrealistic.

So I thought up three ways PPA could ease already-high tensions with its biggest fan base:

1. Philly is a Wawa city, so partner with our favorite convenience store on a snack table at the impoundment lots. Nothing soothes a harried Hooter like a soft pretzel and a cup of joe.
2. Establish a rotating list of up-and-coming therapists who want to get their names out there to provide 10-minute sessions for anyone looking to relitigate how the nose of their car wasn't technically in the no-parking zone.
3. Reinvest some of the fees into hiring a massage therapist for people who are towed.

The bottom line: Every PPA story deserves a happy ending.

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Just like every great superhero, Philly's newest Black comic exhibition has an origin story: Some comic lovers, one with serious illustration chops, got together and said, "Let's make this happen."

Why it matters: Philly has its own place in comic book history: Influential Black cartoonist George Herriman, the creator of "Krazy Kat," had his first comic strip published in a Philly newspaper.

The big picture: Movies like the box-office hit "Black Panther" have introduced younger audiences to comic books, which are often viewed as nostalgic collectibles.

Driving the news: "The Black Hero's Journey" opened this month at Penn's Goldstein Gallery and runs through May 15, highlighting the struggles of Black comics and their creators to be taken seriously while challenging harmful stereotypes about how Black characters have been portrayed.

• The exhibit features dozens of rare and lesser-known comics: characters like Lion Man, Black Panther and the X-Men's Storm, along with a 1940s-style newsstand and drafting station.
• Workshops and other events, including a Halloween costume party, are planned.

1 cool thing: Visitors are greeted by a giant comic book cover called "Super Hero City" that uses Philly's City Hall as a backdrop.

If you go: The exhibition is open on the sixth floor of Penn's Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center.

• Hours: 10am–5pm

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📜 Philly's National Constitution Center has a new president and CEO: Hiram Chodosh, who is president emeritus of Claremont McKenna College in California. He starts Jan. 1.

🍫 Free candy! A new billboard from Farmers Insurance in Dilworth Park near the 15th Street/City Hall subway station is handing out Halloween treats from 11am-7pm each day through Saturday. (Philly Voice)

🏀 Villanova has signed a jersey patch sponsorship deal with investment firm Future Standard, putting the company's logo on Wildcats uniforms.

• The partnership debuts Sunday when Villanova's men's and women's basketball teams open their seasons against Notre Dame in Rome. (Biz Journal)

The Portal in Philly is staying put at City Hall.

Catch up quick: The Portals organization was on the hunt for a new home for the 3.5-ton sculpture since August because — at the time — Mayor Cherelle Parker's administration wouldn't renew its permit.

• The Portal was on track to leave City Hall on Saturday.

State of play: The Parker administration revealed yesterday an anonymous donor was footing the bill to maintain the Portal at City Hall for now.

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Time for a little mischief — but please keep the mayhem to a minimum.

Why it matters: Mischief Night isn't just a Jersey thing; it's a Philly thing, too.

The big picture: Tonight, pranksters are expected to be on the prowl — Silly String, cartons of eggs and rolls of toilet paper in tow — as part of a regional rite of passage on the eve of Halloween.

• Some police departments started imposing curfews to deter mischief-makers, but there's a tacit understanding — and cultural acceptance — that a little ding-dong-ditch only hurts the feelings of your anal-retentive neighbors.

Zoom in: In the past, Philly has experienced a spike in vandalism, but police didn't respond to Axios' request for recent data to see if the trend has continued.

Yes, but: Social media has taken harmless acts and supercharged them into something more sinister.

Case in point: A man was arrested earlier this year after police said he terrorized Center City joggers while donning a Chucky-style mask.

• Apparently, he did it all for the Gram.

💭 Isaac's thought bubble: Growing up in New Mexico, every day was Mischief Day. My neighborhood had oversized lots, and I'm lucky we didn't get into more trouble after shooting a BB gun into a woman's backyard.

• She banged on her window to warn us to stop. Minutes later, we thought we heard sirens and took off running. I jacked up my right wrist trying to jump over my friend's tarped pool the day before I was taking the SAT.

💭 Mike's thought bubble: I'm a Northern Jersey native, so I'll plead the 5th here on details but will at least say that Mischief Night shenanigans hold a special place in my heart.

The bottom line: Kids should still get to be kids.

🧙 Isaac, the Fun Guy, needs some gothy witch vibes in his life.

🤔 Mike is undecided on a Halloween costume: dinosaur or skeleton.

• Plus: Last call for our poll about what readers are feeling ahead of Tuesday's election.

Today's newsletter was edited by Jen Burkett.