It has come to my attention that (a) Cromartie High School is out in English translation, and (b) not enough people are buying it.

OK, sure, ideally you would have a fond and encyclopedic knowledge of 70s-80s tough-guy manga before you began reading CHS -- but you can enjoy it without one. The comic itself supplies all the context you need. This review is about right:

Once you get used to the fact that, yes, the characters are all sincere in being that dumb and badass, the rhythm kicks in. ... The art is full of dynamic frames, dramatic poses, furrowed brows, and action lines, but applied in such ridiculous scenarios (like Freddy trying to retrieve a banana from a string by bashing it with a large wooden crate), the over-the-top linework just pushes everything is a wonderfully ludicrous place. The clenched fists, profous sweatdrops, and melodramatic dialogue that would normally lead to incredible hand-to-hand battles here fizzle into "normal" conversations, grade-school reunions, birthday parties, and teaching math by porn (Chapter 19 - no, really!).

(No, not really. Well, porn gets mentioned, but that's all.)

Volume 1. Volume 2. Volume 3. You know what to do.

Also, I'd like to take a moment to laugh at the Booklist review on Amazon's site, which mentions "a Yakuza-clad rich guy". He wears Yakuza? Toughest guy ever!