Oh, you're down and you're not coming back, huh? You remember Batgirl, Dinah? A tough honey. Tough enough to hang out with the Dark Knight himself. It's got everything to do with me! Do you think I like sending out agents to do my dirty work? Do you think I get my thrills living vicariously? Do you think I don't know hurt? You don't know hurt, sister! I can't get off the mat to take down thugs like Lynx on my own -- but you can. And by God, you will -- because if you don't, you'll regret it -- the rest of your life. 
- — Oracle
Birds of Prey: Black Canary/Oracle #1 is a one-shot with a cover date of January, 1996.
Synopsis for "One Man's Hell"
A new industrial complex in Rheelasia explodes at the opening ceremony.
Dinah gets the call.
A group of men try to car jack Black Canary. She quickly deals with them and heads home where she has messages waiting, bill collectors. One better message, Oracle has a job for her. She leaves for the airport, but her car has just been repo'd, so she uses her last few dollars for a cap.
Nick Devine gives a talk. He is attacked by violent protestors, but is able to easily fight them off and continue his talk, watched by Oracle. She's interrupted by a call from her father, Commissioner Gordon. He wants to take her to dinner, but she's busy.
Dinah arrives at her destination and picks up the car Oracle has arranged for her, and Aston Martin. Oracle has left taped instructions, a new costume, clothes and communications gear for her.
She attends a party thrown by Nick Devine. She introduces herself and gets him to invite her along. He has a bodyguard, Lynx, who dislikes her. Terrorists attack and Dinah helps defend him as Black Canary. He hires her on.
Nick meets with the leader of Bwunda to discuss his next project, a dam there.
Black Canary joins him on the flight to Bwunda. She sees the dam project and the country's abject poverty and decides that night to check out the dam.
At the dam, she finds it being sabotaged. Lynx is behind it, and, Dinah realizes, Nick behind her. Black Canary, caught off guard, is defeated, and can do nothing as the dam is blown and many killed downstream.
In England, Black Canary arrives quite unexpectedly at a meeting between Nick and his next victims. Lynx tries to stop her, but ready for her this time, Canary easily beats her. She takes down Nick, and is tempted to kill him for all the innocents he's killed, but Oracle talks her down, calling in Scotland Yard to pick him up.
Oracle's next mission for her? Breaking up a White Slavery ring in Santa Prisca.
Appearing in "One Man's Hell"
Featured Characters:
- Birds of Prey (First appearance)
- Black Canary
- Oracle (Flashback and main story)
Supporting Characters:
- Bruce Wayne (Flashback and main story)
- James Gordon (Flashback and main story)
- Lucius Fox (caucasian variant edition)
Antagonists:
- Nick Devine (financial wizard)
- The Green Brotherhood (terrorists)
- Lynx
Other Characters:
- Bwundan National People's Front (Mentioned only)
- General Mbarra (El Presidente of Bwunda)
- Ghost Dragons (Mentioned only)
- Joker (Flashback only)
- King Snake (Mentioned only)
- Robin (Flashback only)
- Singh Manh Lee (President of Rheelasia) (Single appearance; dies)
- Victor (Mbarra's nephew)
Locations:
Vehicles:
- Aston Martin DB-7
Notes
- This issue is collected in:
Trivia
- With this issue Black Canary starts to wear her new blue, black and gold costume and stops wearing her fishnet stocking costume that she is known for wearing. Additionally, she stops wearing a long blond wig to cover her naturally black, short hair and instead colors her hair blond. The new costume had actually previously appeared in Showcase '96 #3.
- Lucius Fox is mistakenly colored as caucasian in this issue.
See Also
Recommended Reading
- Black Canary Recommended Reading
- Flash Comics (Volume 1)
- Action Comics (Volume 1):
- Black Canary (Volume 1)
- Black Canary (Volume 2)
- Black Canary (Volume 3)
- Black Canary (Volume 4)
- Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell
- Birds of Prey one-shots
- Birds of Prey: Manhunt (Volume 1)
- Birds of Prey (Volume 1)
- Birds of Prey (Volume 2)
- Birds of Prey (Volume 3)
- Batgirl and the Birds of Prey (Volume 1)
- Green Arrow and Black Canary (Volume 1)
- Green Arrow (Volume 6)