For this week’s “Adapt This” column at IFC, I put the spotlight on I Kill Giants, the 2008-09 series by Joe Kelly and J.M. Ken Niimura. I could go on and on about how great of a book it is here, but this one fact should be enough to pique your interest: it’s the last comic I read that made me cheer out loud… and then almost made me cry.

Here’s an excerpt from the column:

This Week’s Book: I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly and J. M. Ken Niimura

The Premise: A young girl’s fantasy world filled with pixies and elves becomes intertwined with her real-life struggles as she copes with problems at home, difficulties at school, and the ever-present threat of giants. Fortunately, she’s got a magic hammer with the power to smite even the biggest creatures — but what about her other problems?

The Pitch: Joe Kelly and J.M. Ken Niimura’s 2008 series found itself on quite a few “Best Of” lists after it was published in collected form the following year, and it’s easy to see how the connection it found with readers could translate to the screen.

The story follows Barbara Thorson, a clever fifth grader who sees faeries and goblins around every corner, and claims to have made a career out of hunting giants. To her, this fantasy world is not just real — it’s her burden to shoulder as the only person capable of seeing the magical things happening around her, her family, and her friends.

And while it’s easy to dismiss her visions as the stuff of an overactive imagination, Kelly and Niimura leave some question as to which is more real: the homework and bullies, or the gnomes and dragons.

You can read the rest of the column at IFC.com…