Memorial cartoons provide cartoonists with the rare opportunity of positive reflection on the lives of notable public figures – not to mention these are usually the most popular cartoons of the year. That’s not to say that cartoon obits are always drawn in praise. This year, we lost many big names, from beloved actor Heath Ledger to dirty-mouthed George Carlin, old-timers Charlton Heston (yes, we can pry the gun from his cold, dead fingers now), Paul Newman, Bo Diddley, NBC’s Tim Russert, Fox News’ Tony Snow, Russia’s Alexander Solzhenitsyn, and Senator Jesse Helms.