Valerie Perez made waves in the fan film world a few years ago with the fan film, Tomb Raider: Tears of the Dragon, a firepower-heavy take on the legendary video game heroine, Lara Croft. That, in turn, led to her starring role in the 2007 DVD/web short, Paula Peril: Trapped in the Flames, based on the indie comic book character.

Following an aborted attempt at a Peril feature film, Peril—and Perez—have returned to the screen with the series’ latest short film, Paula Peril and the Mystery of the Crystal Falcon, the first in a planned trio of new flicks from Atlanta, GA-based Atlantis Studios, which publishes the Peril comic book series. The short also stars Marla Malcolm and Ben Lamm, and was directed by Savvy Lorestani.

Interestingly, Atlantis is taking a “transmedia” approach to the series—that’s an academic term that basically means Peril’s story is told in a variety of mediums that fit together to tell an overall story. “Every film we have planned in this live action series is an original, self contained adventure not found in the comic book,” says series creator James Watson. “We follow the overall story arc set out in the comic, but film allows us to explore the characters in new and compelling ways. What you see in these films impacts our development in the comics and vis-versa.”

If you’re a fan of Paula Peril—or simply the statuesque Ms. Perez—you’ll want to check out chapter 14 of my book on fan films, Homemade Hollywood, which looks at the dearth of women in the fan film world. Among a number of examples, it presents how fan films provided a training ground for Perez to become a force to be reckoned with on both sides of the camera. Resourceful like the heroines she portrays, Perez is often key to her productions, not merely because she plays the leads, but also due to her real-world abilities. For Tears of the Dragon, Perez, an IT analyst with a degree in neuroscience, created all the CGI visual effects in the film, helped develop its premise, produced the flick, handled location scouting and—since she’s a certified fire safety officer for film and TV production—set off all the film’s explosions.

Atlantis Studios reports the new Peril film’s plot as:

In a plotline reminiscent of 1940s mysteries and cliffhanger serials, each film follows the adventures of Paula “Peril” Perillo, a sexy and determined investigative reporter who has a knack for getting herself in trouble. This time, a high society auction has been interrupted by the brazen theft of a strange artifact, and Paula and photographer Jimmy Smith team up to uncover the truth. Unfortunately, Paula’s beautiful rival, Veronica Vilancourt, is also after the story, and soon finds herself in the clutches of an ancient evil.