MANHATTAN — It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a comic book super-museum!
The SoHo comic book museum that abruptly closed in July after a decade in operation brought its comic books, animation and political cartoons back to the public Tuesday after it transferred its collection to the Society of Illustrators.
The permanent collection of the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art, which was formerly housed on the fourth floor of 594 Broadway near East Houston Street, can now be found in the Society of Illustrators' building at 128 E. 63rd St., according to a statement on MoCCA's website.
MoCCA President Ellen Abramowitz said the combination of the two illustration institutions gives comics fans a single destination in New York.
"The Society of Illustrators is the perfect fit for MoCCA and its members," she said in a statement. "To be welcomed into the home of celebrated artists and publishers by a first-rate organization will serve to ensure that the foundation upon which MoCCA was built will continue to have a bright future."
Artist and animator Bill Plympton agreed.
"It's a match made in cartoon heaven!" Plympton, a member of both institutions, said in a statement.
The Upper East Side group — which was founded in 1901 and counted Norman Rockwell as a member — will be the new site for MoCCA arts programming for adults and children and will host the annual MoCCA Fest, according to the statement.
The Museum of American Illustration is open Tuesday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Wednesday through Friday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday 12 to 4 p.m. Admission is free.
