https://www.batman-online.com/forum/...=2197.msg31753
This thread actually does a pretty thorough job mapping out some of the possible comic-book influences on Donner's Superman. It seems to be a blend of some really
early stuff (the first few issues of Action Comics), as well as stuff published as recently as the early 70's.
On another thread, I remember a discussion around how the Up, Up and Away musical was apparently also a stylistic influence on the movie.
But yeah, I do get a sense that it was a kind of distillation of how the writers remembered Superman from past adaptations as well as whatever comics they read as a kid, or got their hands on during their research. It certainly wasn't meant to be a direct translation of whatever was currently on the newstands.
Its also worth noting that the guys working on Superman: The Movie weren't trying to run
away from something in their treatment. They just set out to make a Superman movie and to distill the essence of the character, across comics and past adaptations, into one cohesive narrative. In contrast, with Burton's Batman, a decade later, Michael Uslan, and later Burton himself, had a definite agenda to break free from the legacy of the Adam West show and go with a darker tone for the Dark Knight. And they deliberately sought out influences which would help with that goal - the early Kane/Finger stories, the Denny O'Neill or Englehart runs of the 70's etc.