The adjective is obviously. derived from the noun, and as such had much of the same meaning originally: "relating to or characteristic of an epic or epics: our national epic poem Beowulf."
And no, I'm not proud of having to weigh in on this subject.
Mine was OS X dictionary IIRC, but here's dictionary.com:
adjective, Also, epical
1.
noting or pertaining to a long poetic composition, usually centered upon a hero, in which a series of great achievements or events is narrated in elevated style:
Homer'sIliad is an epic poem.
2.
resembling or suggesting such poetry:
an epic novel on the founding of the country.
3.
heroic; majestic; impressively great:
the epic events of the war.
4.
of unusually great size or extent:
a crime wave of epic proportions.
5.
Slang. spectacular; very impressive; awesome:
Their burgers and fries are epic!
So if (4) is what you mean, it's not exactly the first definition for the adjective either.
And no, I'm not proud of having to weigh in on this subject.