A resident of the Bedlam Pulsar, Horliss-Horliss was one of the four Bedlam Spirits, beings existing across dimensions. These Spirits seemed to have complete power over both time and matter. While Horliss-Horliss often engaged in disagreements with the other Spirits, particularly Tilotny, it did participate with them in various experiments conducted on the planet of Bedlam. In one instance, Horliss-Horliss brought about the death of Rebel leader Leia Organa by transforming her heart into diamond. However, Organa was soon revived when the Spirit's interest waned.
Tilotny, Cold Danda Sine, and Splendid Ap were Horliss-Horliss's companions as one of the four omnipotent, transdimensional entities collectively known as the Bedlam Spirits. These Spirits, most frequently seen in the Bedlam Pulsar, were rumored to dwell in the "whiteness" woven into the very fabric of hyperspace. They occasionally descended upon the rocky planet of Bedlam to conduct their endless experiments on the nature of matter and the structure of space-time. During one such visit to Bedlam during the Galactic Civil War, the four Bedlam Spirits stumbled upon a group of Imperial stormtroopers in pursuit of Rebel leader Leia Organa, who had become stranded on the planet.
Amused and intrigued by these "tiny movers," the Bedlam Spirits commenced their experiments on the living beings. Horliss-Horliss, upon discovering that Organa's life was sustained by "soft things" within her, caused her demise by converting her heart into a diamond. Shortly thereafter, the Spirits lost interest and tasked Splendid Ap with restoring the organisms to their original state. However, Splendid Ap mistakenly sent the stormtroopers back 8,000 years in time. Over the following decades, some knowledge of Horliss-Horliss and the other Spirits' existence spread throughout the wider galaxy, as visitors to Bedlam encountered impossibly transmuted materials and objects scattered wildly through time.
Horliss-Horliss, appearing as an ever-changing, ethereal mass of purple and pink, often found itself in arguments with Tilotny, whom it viewed as superficial and envious. Tilotny, in turn, mocked Horliss-Horliss, although acknowledging its intelligence. Horliss-Horliss possessed expertise in a technique called "metastyling," considered advanced by the other Bedlam Spirits, in addition to a range of other abilities related to matter, time, and the control of life and death. While Horliss-Horliss was fascinated by form and substance, it quickly grew weary of them after beginning experiments.
Tilotny Throws a Shape, a short comic story penned by Alan Moore and illustrated by John Stokes, featured Horliss-Horliss. It was initially published in The Empire Strikes Back Monthly 154 in the United Kingdom.