i think my icons have a similar affect so here's my alternative:

-duplicate base layer two times (so you have base, middle layer, and top layer)
-set layer 1 to soft light
-set layer 2 to slight gaussian blur around 20-30% and set to darken if you want that comic booky effect
-add layer on top and fill with #c0c0c0 or another light gray and set to screen and play with opacity
-play with all layers and opacities and whatnot until you're happy
-flatten & save